Clock Tower 3
by Liquid
Summary: On the eve of her fifteenth birthday, Alyssa Hamilton returns home to find her mother missing, while a strange dark man has taken up residence. Now she must face nightmares from across time and discover the secret of her family's legacy, while trying to put things right before the clock strikes twelve.
1. Chapter 1 Alyssa Comes Home

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter One: Alyssa Comes Home**

This should have been a happy time…

It had been three long years since fourteen year old Alyssa Hamilton had last seen her home; having suddenly been sent off by her mother, Nancy, to begin a rather dull life at boarding school. It was springtime now, and the trees were dotted with pink buds, along with a warm breeze that greeted her as she stepped off the train. No one really paid attention to her as she moved across the platform, nor was she in any real mood for conversation, aside from hailing a taxi and telling the driver where she was going.

He was nice enough, and he attempted to make small talk since the drive was going to take a while, but the only thing that Alyssa could think about was getting home to her mother. There had been hardly any contact between them at all during the past three years, but then all of a sudden things got weird. It started out with her being called out from class to take a phone call, and the girl could hardly contain her excitement once she found out that it was from her mother. However, there was no one on the line when she picked up the receiver.

There had been no dial tone, meaning that the line was connected, but no one answered her increasingly frantic cries… until someone hung up. At first Alyssa had been worried that her mother had fallen and hit her head or something, but obviously not if she could hang up the phone after being quiet for five minutes… so had it been someone else? Had someone been simply listening, and taking some kind of twisted pleasure from frightening her like that? Seeing that she was obviously shaken up, they sent her to the school nurse, who assured Alyssa that it must've simply been a bad connection, and that her mother had probably received the same silence on her end.

The argument made sense, and for a time she tried to get back into a normal routine, but then something else happened. It was common for her mother to send letters every so often, as it was to receive one close to her birthday, but this letter turned out to be anything _but_ common. In fact, it was this letter which made her decide to come home, and Alyssa pushed her short strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear before going over the contents once again.

 _Dearest Alyssa;_

 _How have you been? I think of you every day, and now it seems like such a long time ago that you started your life at boarding school. It was after your beloved grandfather went missing while traveling three years ago, that I sent you away with instructions not to return for at least six years, without giving you any kind of real explanation. I know that leaving everything behind must have been very painful for you, and I'm sorry, but it was for your own protection._

 _Now, your fifteenth birthday is approaching, and I fear that your life may be in even greater danger than before. I know that what I am saying will make absolutely no sense to you, but please, go into hiding until after your fifteenth birthday has passed. Tell no one where you are going, not even me, and do so quickly, but do not return home._

 _This is all my fault, but know that I will do my best to protect you. Please remember that I love you more than anything else in this world, and that I always will._

 _Your loving mother;_

 _Nancy._

Dark clouds had been gathering since she got into the taxi, and now the distant rumbling of thunder could be heard, as if signifying the mystery and dread that came along with her mother's letter. Soon the driver was forced to turn on the windshield wipers, due the light sprinkling of rain that started a few minutes later, and this made Alyssa even more anxious to make sure that her mother was all right. Yes, she had been told not to come home, but after the phone call, _and_ that cryptic letter, how could she not?

It was only about a half hour drive from the train station to _Hamilton Estate_ , the enormous family home where she had spent her childhood, but the urgency of the situation and the increasingly heavy rain, made it feel like _hours_ had passed before the entrance to her drive appeared. Moments later the taxi came to a stop, and Alyssa paid the driver before smoothing out her skirt and getting out of the car. Grabbing her bag out of the back seat, she held it over her head like an umbrella against the now pouring rain, and the taxi drove away once she reached the archway in front of the main door.

She waved a polite goodbye to him as the car's taillights vanished out of sight, and then turning her key in the lock, the front door to her family's home creaked open. A flash of lightning through the open door and many windows illuminated everything inside the main hall, but when it faded a moment later, Alyssa realized that the whole house was dark. Not a single one of the lights was on, nor could she hear anyone moving around. This was strange, since there were always plenty of lodgers… of course, maybe they were out… and perhaps the storm knocked out the power? There was still enough light from the cloudy sky outside to see the features of the room, but not much else.

"Mum?" She called, setting her bag down and wringing out her skirt. "Mum, it's me, Alyssa; I've come home."

No one answered her call, aside from the echo of her own voice, and then the house was silent again. Thinking that maybe her mother was taking a nap, and simply hadn't heard her, Alyssa picked up her bag, and had just started up the spiral staircase in the center of the room, when she finally saw something. It wasn't much, just a flickering orange light that was now coming from the open door to the dining room, but a lit candle meant that someone was there. So she went back down the stairs and through the door, where someone was sitting at the end of the table, facing toward the window.

Hoping that it was her mother, it only took a moment to realize that it was not, and Alyssa could not help but gasp at the large, dark figure that was revealed in the light from the nearby candle. He was stocky, with sort of pale skin, and clothed in black with a wide-brim hat atop his head. Reacting to the sound, the dark man slowly got out of the chair, revealing that he was exceptionally tall as well.

"Oh, um… excuse me." She said politely while failing to hide her nervousness. "Are you… are you one of the lodgers?"

"Why, _yes_ , I am." He replied in a deep voice, turning to face her. "And from your calls a moment ago, can I assume that you are Nancy's daughter… _Alyssa_?"

He walked with a golden cane, although didn't seem to need it very much as he moved toward her, and Alyssa found herself backing up until her back touched the wall. The dark man continued forward until he was less than a foot away, towering over her, and making the girl feel uneasy to the point of shaking a bit. Then he just stood there, his eyes traveling up and down her body as if he were studying her.

"Do you… do you know where my mother is?" She asked, looking away with a shaky voice. "Has… has she gone out?"

"You look just like her, you know." The dark man replied, putting his finger under her chin to make her look up at him. "But yes, Nancy went out yesterday morning, and mentioned that she would not be back for some time… does that frighten you, Alyssa? The thought of being all alone in this world?"

The dark man started laughing at this, as if he had just told a really funny joke, but Alyssa didn't find it funny. Instead, it felt like there was a knot forming in her stomach, and she knew that she had to get away from him. So she started to slowly move sideways to escape, but couldn't help crying out in shock when he moved his hand to her shoulder and shoved the girl roughly back into the wall.

"Oh, my sweet Alyssa." He continued, using his other hand to lightly caress her cheek. "You have no idea how I've waited for this day to come."

"You're hurting me." She whimpered, her body shaking even more. "Please… please, let me go."

And to her surprise, he did just that, releasing her and then walking out into the main hall, while she just stood there trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. Was this man playing some kind of demented game with her, or was he some kind of pervert? By now she was getting used to older men leering at her whenever she traveled around in her school uniform… like she was doing now, but thankfully the dark man was leaving. He turned left after entering the main hall, and walked past the stairs toward the part of the house that was partitioned for the lodgers.

Once he was gone, however, Alyssa regained her ability to move, and did so. Stopping only long enough to grab her bag, she ran up the staircase, and down to the far end of the walkway, where the locked door to her room awaited. Once inside, she slammed and locked the door again, but this was not her final destination. Dropping her bag on the bed, she barely noticed that nothing in the room had changed, as she went straight for the door on the other side.

This door led into an enclosed kind of common area that would allow her to travel between hers, her mother's, and even her grandfather's rooms without having to worry about getting cornered and groped again by that dark man. However, there were no windows in this area since it was surrounded by bedrooms on all sides, and propping open the door back to her own room only helped a little. The storm was still going outside, so the lights were probably going to be out for a while, but there was a fireplace in the center.

The light from her bedroom windows allowed her to see almost all the way to the fireplace, and her mother always kept it ready in case of storms… of course if she hadn't been so panicked, Alyssa would have thought to grab the candle from the dining room table, but there was no way she was going back downstairs with _him_ around. Finding the mantle in the darkness and then feeling around with her hands, she was able to find the box of matches, as well as the small can of lighter fluid, which her grandfather had called _'the cheater's way'_ of starting a fire.

Well, her grandfather wasn't trapped in dark house, with the possibility of being molested by a man twice his size, so Alyssa poured a little of the fluid on the wood in the fire place, and used a match to light it. Soon the room was bathed in flickering orange light, and after closing the door to her room, she sat down on the sofa in front of the fire. This would give her a chance to dry off, and should also keep her safe while she figured out what she was going to do about that dark man.


	2. Chapter 2 Fantaisie Impromptu

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Two: Fantaisie Impromptu**

For a few minutes, Alyssa remained where she was, giving her clothes time to dry a bit. Having been gone for three years, it was nice to sit on this sofa in the common room like she had done before, but right now wasn't the best time for reminiscing. After all, her mother was still missing, and that dark man was still lurking around somewhere… but what could she do about any of that on her own? Without heading back into the main area of the house, her only options were her own room, her mother's room, and her grandfather's room.

Alyssa's own room would be a waste of time, and she didn't have a key to her grandfather's room, leaving only one choice. So she got off the sofa, and walked through the nearby door into her mother's room. It was possible that her mother had left a note or something for her there in case she came home, since it was one of the only places where certain creepy lodgers couldn't get to, but there was nothing. The room was immaculately clean, but there was no waiting piece of paper on the dressers, or anywhere else in plain sight.

There was a phone, however, sitting on the nightstand next to the bed, but as if some kind of cruel cliché was playing out, there was no dial tone when she picked up the receiver. Figuring that the storm must've knocked out the telephone line or something, she hung up the receiver, and realized two very important things when she sat on the bed. The first was that even if the phone was working, she had no idea who to call. Her mother didn't have a mobile, not that there was even _service_ for one in this area, and who else could she call, the Police? The dark man hadn't _actually_ done anything to hurt her, and unfortunately… being creepy was not a crime.

The second thing that Alyssa realized was that she had sat down on something hard. It was flat, but nothing like what a mattress should've felt like, so she stood up and pulled back the blankets, revealing that there was a book underneath. It looked pretty old, and she was just starting to open it to a page where something large had been used for a bookmark, when a sudden sound of music made her jump. It was loud and clear, the classical kind of piano music that her mother listened to… but if she could hear it, then so could the dark man, and the girl didn't want him to know where she was.

Gasping as she dropped the book onto the floor, Alyssa rushed over to her mother's stereo, but when she opened the CD player, the disc wasn't spinning. The music was louder now, and seeming to come right through the walls, as if someone were playing as loud as they could, and that would've been fine… if there had been a piano in the house… which there wasn't.

"Where is that coming from?!" She yelled, hands over her ears as it became louder. "Who's doing that?! Please… please stop!"

The only thing she could think so do was retreat back into the common room, where there would be an extra set of walls between her and the music. It probably wouldn't drown it out completely, but it would at least give her a bit of a break, so she ran back through the door… and quickly realized that something was wrong. The good news was that the music had stopped, but the bad news was that she had _not_ re-entered the common room.

Somehow the girl had made it outside of the house, and it was dark already… no, wait… this wasn't her family's property. There were buildings around, and the ground was covered in stone… it was a _street_ … a _city_ street, complete with a parked double-decker bus. The buildings were dark, as were the light poles, but thankfully the full moon allowed her to see the area around her. There were no people around to ask for help, and aside from a small canal that ran along the street, the only thing that caught her eye was a large poster that had been hung on a nearby wall, which read:

 _SOUTH LONDON CONCERT HALL PRESENTS_

 _15_ _th_ _ANNUAL PIANO CONCOURS_

 _CHRISTMAS EVE, 1942_

" _Nineteen Forty-Two_?" Alyssa whispered as she looked at the shiny, almost reflective surface. " _South London_?"

Nothing about this made any sense. How had she gotten to this city from her mother's bedroom? Why was this city dark? Where was everybody? These questions sprinted through her mind, but then they were interrupted when a new sound reached her ears. It started quietly, but grew until she realized that it was an old air-raid siren going off. But those things hadn't been used for decades, so was it some kind of mandatory test like with the fire alarms at school? Alyssa was about to dismiss it as nothing, when she froze as another sound joined in with the siren.

Looking up into the sky, the girl could just barely make out the dark silhouettes of airplanes, but not just _any_ airplanes. Old ones, a dozen of them slowly flying directly overhead, and now there was a strange kind of whistling sound as…

 _BOOM!_ Alyssa's thoughts were brought to a screeching halt as part of the nearby street exploded in a flash of orange light, and although it was a good distance from her, the force and surprise of it happening was enough to knock her off her feet. And it wasn't alone… soon the whole world seemed to shake to the sound of _'BOOM…BOOM…BOOM!'_ , causing more flashes of light as the buildings and street around her were pulverized by this… _bombing run_?

Another nearby explosion caused her to dive over a fallen metal drum, and now the buildings were starting to burn, making her decide that it was time to leave. Quickly turning back the way she came, Alyssa's mind only had an instant to notice that the door she had come through was gone, before the bombing resumed. The force from the next explosion threw her backwards, and now the girl's ears were ringing too loudly to even hear herself scream as she scrambled to get away.

Crawling on her stomach, Alyssa rolled underneath the double-decker bus, getting into a fetal position, and not being at all ashamed of the tears coming from her eyes as the bombing continued. Scared to death that one of the bombs would hit the bus, she closed her eyes and covered her ears… but then it stopped. There were no more explosions as the airplanes could be heard moving further away, and soon the siren stopped as well, returning the city to the silent state in which she had found it.

The crackling of burning fires could still be heard when she finally found the courage to come out of hiding, and now most of the street had been decimated. There was, however, a small building that had remained untouched, and even though the curtains were drawn, Alyssa could see that there was a light on inside. The painted sign above the door read: _NORTON'S TAYLOR_ , with the words _CHRISTMAS SALE_ above some of the suit jackets that were sitting in the darkened display area, but the girl didn't care about any of that, just as long as someone was inside who could help her.

Not wanting to stay outside in case the bombers came back, she ran across the street, and tried the door. It was unlocked, so Alyssa pulled it open, and ran inside, shutting and locking it again just as quickly. Realizing how awkward it was for some strange girl to come barging into someone's place of business, especially after hours, she turned around while trying to come up with some kind of explanation, but didn't have to once she saw that once again… no one was there.

"Hello?" She called out. "I'm sorry to barge in like this, but… is… is anyone there?"

There was no response, but she still needed both answers and help, so Alyssa stepped further into the room. It was clearly a Taylor's shop; display mannequins were placed around the main area, and behind the counter were racks of suits and dresses that were ready to be picked up. It was no longer shocking to find that all of them were old fashioned, like everything else in this city, and as much as it hurt her sanity to suggest… it was like she had been somehow been transported back to _World War II_.

But that was impossible. Regardless of German bombing runs, and old style… everything, she could just not accept that she had somehow discovered time travel. Now what she needed was some proof that she was still in her own time, and that proof came in the form of something that she spotted on the counter next to the till. It was a newspaper, which of course would have a recent date on it, so Alyssa walked up to the counter, and looked at the front page.

 _LONDON EVENING POST. Friday, December 25_ _th_ _, 1942_

 ** _CHRISTMAS TRAGEDY: YOUNG PIANIST BRUTALLY MURDERED_**

 _May Norton, age 12, was found murdered in the Norton's Taylor shop. Store Manager, Jane Stride, discovered the victim when she came in to open the store for business, finding the young girl on the stairs, unconscious and bleeding from the head. A preliminary autopsy has revealed that it was an instantaneous death, caused by a blow to the skull with a heavy, blunt object. No suspects have been named._

 _The victim had taken part in the 15_ _th_ _Annual Piano Concourse at the Victoria Hall just the previous evening. A consummate pianist, Miss Norton was widely tipped for first prize, but an unfortunate error in the final part of her performance prevented her from taking the crown. May had been living at home alone, since her father, Lieutenant William Norton of His Majesty's Home Guard, returned to the front in July._

"Oh, how dreadful." Alyssa commented as she finished reading the article. "The poor girl… what kind of monster would do such a thing?"

Suddenly a scream rang out from upstairs, followed by the sound of objects and furniture being thrown around and smashed. It sounded like a little girl who was screaming, and mixed in with it, was the sound of laughter. Deep, enraged laughter that almost drowned out the little girl's screams, and although frightened by the commotion, Alyssa wasn't about to just leave whoever that was to her fate. So she ran back across the main area of the shop, and had just reached the bottom of the stairs, when the first door at the top was thrown open as a little girl came reeling backwards through it.

She hit the wall, only to bounce off, leaving a splattering of blood as she stumbled backwards toward the stairs, and then she fell, leaving more blood as she slid to a stop about halfway down. Alyssa was frozen by the sight of this, and even more so when she got a good look at the girl's face. She looked just like May Norton… a wound to the head… found on the stairs… killed instantly.

Was this May Norton? Had she just witnessed the murder that was in the newspaper? No, that couldn't be… could it? Either way, this girl on the stairs was dead for certain, but there was no more time to react or even think, as another figure stepped through the upstairs door. The much bigger form of a man… a man wearing a kind of makeshift executioner's hood over his head… and carrying a blood-soaked sledgehammer.

"That's right… I killed her." He laughed, pointing to the girl with his hammer. "Now she is mine _forever_ … and so are you… _Alyssa_."


	3. Chapter 3 The Hammer Killer

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Three: The Hammer Killer**

Part of Alyssa's mind still refused to believe that all of this was really happening. After all, who would believe that she had been somehow transported back to the 1940's, and witnessed the brutal murder of a little girl, by a sledgehammer-wielding maniac? No one, that was who, not even herself. This whole scenario was like something out of a bad movie, with a cliché, over the top villain who was dressed like a kind of low-budget executioner. If she hadn't been so frightened and confused, the girl might have laughed at the whole setup, but suddenly it felt more real when this character came running down the stairs.

Suddenly gripped with an almost instinctual terror, Alyssa turned from the stairs, and ran across the shop. Whether or not this was all some kind of delusion or dream that she was having, it still felt like a bad idea to let this man catch her. There was a door on the far wall behind the counter, and she had a good lead on her pursuer, so she ducked under the latch-gate, and scrambled up to the door.

Twisting the knob while ramming her shoulder into it, her plan was to escape into the next room and find a way to escape, or at least a place to hide. Unfortunately, not only did the door not open when she slammed into it, but the knob didn't turn either, meaning that it was locked. Alyssa's mouth ran dry as she heard her pursuer's footsteps behind her stopping at the counter's latch-gate, and she turned around just in time to see him bringing up the hammer to smash the obstacle.

With panic now taking completely over, the girl looked around for somewhere to run, and the only option was underneath the nearby clothing racks. So she ran for them, doing kind of a slide underneath the hanging suits just as part of the counter was destroyed with a loud _crash_. Realizing that it would only take a second for him to find her there, she crawled sideways, taking shelter under the counter itself just as her pursuer reached the racks.

"Alyssa?" He called softly while peering between each hanging jacket. "Alyssa, where are you?"

This man was a fool if he actually expected her to answer him, and the design of the counter allowed her to crawl out the other side, so she moved back into the main area of the shop while he kept searching the racks. The door leading back outside was too close to him to risk using, leaving the stairs as her only option. Staying crouched as low as possible, and trying to move quietly, Alyssa returned to the bottom of the stairs and started making her way up. The little girl's body seemed to have disappeared, although the blood stains remained, but she was able to avoid them until she reached the top.

"Stop hiding, Alyssa." Her pursuer called, still searching for her. "I want you… I _need_ you… you belong to me, Alyssa."

His argument wasn't exactly compelling, so she kept going, but only as far as the open door where he and the little girl had first appeared. Figuring that it was the last place that he would think to look for her, Alyssa carefully closed the door, locking it, and then turning around to find that it was a bedroom. It must've belonged to the little girl, being that the bed and furniture were small in size, but it was dimly lit by only a single candle. However, that one candle suddenly became so bright that she had to shield her eyes, and when Alyssa opened them, the room was different.

It was now daytime, with the sun illuminating everything through the window, and now Alyssa was not alone. The little girl had returned, alive and well, sitting at her piano while playing the same music that had been heard in her mother's bedroom. The door then opened, and Alyssa was afraid for a moment that it might be her pursuer, but instead it was a well-dressed man that the little girl seemed very happy to see.

" _Hi, daddy_." She said cheerfully, leaving the piano to give him a hug. " _You're home early… do you want to hear me practice?_ "

" _Um… May, come and sit with me for a moment_." He said with a sad, yet serious tone while taking her hand. " _I have to tell you something important, and, well… I'm afraid it's bad news_."

She went with him over to the larger chair in the corner of the room, and then her father picked her up so that May was sitting on his lap. Alyssa could see from how tightly he held her, that the little girl's father was afraid of something, and apparently May could sense it as well.

" _May, you know that you're the most precious thing to me in the world, right?_ " Her father asked. " _I can't stand the thought of having to leave you alone again, but… but my unit's been activated… May, I'm being sent back to the front_."

" _The front?_ " May asked, no longer cheerful. " _You mean, you're going back to war?_ "

Alyssa listened to their conversation, and remembered from the newspaper that the murdered girl's father had been an Officer in the Army, but if this was really May that was in front of her, did that mean… did that mean that she was seeing ghosts? Well, why not? If this was a dream of some kind, she already had time travel and murderers, so why not ghosts as well?

" _I'm going to miss you, May_." Her father continued, still holding her. " _I'm going to miss you terribly_."

" _Don't worry, daddy_." The little girl replied. " _The piano concourse is on Christmas Eve, and the winner will have their performance aired on the radio. I'll practice every day, and win the contest, so that you'll be able to hear me when you're out on the front. And look, I already know what piece I'm going to play_."

The little girl then reached into her father's vest pocket, and took out a gold pocket watch, and the same music that she had been practicing began to play when she opened it.

" _You said that mummy gave you this watch before you got married, remember?_ " May asked before closing it again. " _I'll play this on Christmas Eve, so you can think of mummy and me, and it will be like we're all together again_."

They hugged again, and then the light of day faded until nothing was left but that single candle again. The ghosts, or whatever they were, of May and her father were gone, and then Alyssa gasped as something struck the door from the other side.

"Alyssa!" Her pursuer called, hitting the door again. "I know you're in there, my Alyssa. Open the door, and face me like Nancy would have."

It sounded like he was kicking the door instead of using the hammer, and as much as she wanted to know why this maniac was mentioning her mother's name, Alyssa had to think of her survival first. After all, it was only a matter of time before her pursuer grew impatient and broke down the door, and the girl had to be ready. There wasn't much in the room, at least not that she could lift by herself, not that she had the strength needed to hurt that monster either way.

"I'm coming in, Alyssa." He laughed from out in the hall. "I'm coming in, and I want to hear you scream just like little May did… can you do that for me, my Alyssa?"

The only thing that she could think to grab was the smaller of the two chairs in the room, so she picked it up over her head, and waited. Her pursuer laughed for a few moments longer, and then let out a furious grunt just before the door was knocked off its hinges with a _crash_ of the hammer. Alyssa only had a few seconds before he would be able to pick up the weapon again, so she ran at him, while swinging the chair as hard as she could.

The piece of furniture was shattered into a dozen pieces when it connected with his hooded head, but seemed to do little more than surprise him for a second, making him take a single step backwards. But this single step was all that was needed, as his foot slipped on some of May's blood, making her pursuer cry out in shock as he tumbled backwards down the stairs. He bounced and rolled all the way down, before destroying another part of the counter when he crashed into it, and Alyssa wasted no time in making her escape.

Following him back down the stairs, and running past her pursuer, the girl ran out the front door of the shop, not looking back as she sprinted down the empty street. It was a lot more difficult than she thought to run down a cobblestone road without tripping, making Alyssa suddenly feel empathy for the girls who constantly fell down in the movies, but for the moment it appeared that no one was following her. The girl was just about out of breath anyway, puffing and wheezing for a time after coming to a stop, and then she started looking around for someone who could help her.

Unfortunately, there were no people out on the street, nor could she see any other buildings that had the lights on. Continuing on down the street, she tried every door that she came to, but all were locked tight, with no one answering no matter how loudly she banged her fist on them. It was starting to look like the whole of the city was deserted, empty no matter how far she walked, but then she heard it:

It was music; faint, and muffled, but it was music… that same music again, coming from farther up the road. It got louder as she continued toward it, and louder still when she used a stone bridge to cross the canal that ran along the street. This was definitely the place where the music was coming from, and when Alyssa looked at the building up ahead, she saw that it was one of the old music halls, like the ones in the movies. The architecture was grand, and the courtyard in front of it was decorated with trees and fountains, but all of this was forgotten when the heavy double-doors opened by themselves when she approached.

This was clearly where she was supposed to go, not that Alyssa understood why, or what was actually happening around her, but if it was a dream, then the girl had no choice but to go through it. So with a deep breath, and another look to make sure that her pursuer wasn't following, she walked up the short stairs, and into the building.


	4. Chapter 4 Justice for May

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Four: Justice for May**

Unlike the darkened city that surrounded it, the music hall was brightly lit, and it also lacked the scars and damage that seemed to plague everything else. The marble floors and elaborate walls were immaculately clean as well, as if less than a day had passed since the last time it had been maintained. There were more posters on the wall, each advertising the Piano Concourse, like the one she had seen outside before the bombing, and Alyssa was stepping forward to look at them, when the doors slammed shut behind her.

There was a loud click as the bolt moved into place on its own, making it impossible for the girl to open them again when she turned around and tried the knob. Not that there was any _real_ reason to leave, being that she was inside while her pursuer was probably still in the Taylor ship, and as far as Alyssa was concerned, that was a good thing. However, there were still no people around… just that almost constant piano music.

"Hello?" She called, moving toward the sound. "Hello, is anyone there?"

There was no answer, so she walked down a short hallway which led to a flight of carpeted stairs. The stairs took her up into a large auditorium, with dozens of rows of seats that spread in a half-circle around a center stage, where a piano had been positioned. Several spotlights were mounted on the catwalks above, bathing the stage, as well as the small figure playing the piano, in intense white light.

"Hello?" Alyssa called again, moving past the seating rows.

There was no answer from the player, and it was obviously not her pursuer that was playing, so she reached the bottom, and used the side-stairs to walk onto the stage, only to gasp at what she saw there. The piano's keys, bench, and sheet music were heavily blood-stained, as was the player… but as the little girl continued to play as if nothing was wrong, Alyssa noticed that she looked exactly like the girl who she had just seen murdered in the Taylor shop.

Suddenly the little girl hit a note that was obviously off-key, causing her to stop for a second as she sniffled a little and wiped her crying eyes. Then she took a deep breath, and started playing the piece from the beginning. Just like with each time Alyssa had heard it, the little girl's rendition was flawless… but then she hit the same off-key note, only to start the process all over again. Alyssa was just starting to walk toward her, to find out what was really going on, or to at least try and comfort her, when she was stopped by the sound of horrible laughter from behind.

Turning around toward where the audience would sit, the girl had to squint past the lights to see a large figure running past the rows. It quickly reached the bottom, and leapt forward, giving Alyssa barely enough time to dive out of the way before her pursuer's hammer put a hole in the stage. The little girl shrieked as the music stopped, nearly tripping over the piano bench as she ran away, vanishing from sight while Alyssa scrambled under the piano to avoid the next swing of her pursuer's hammer.

She crawled back out on the other side, but he was already there, pushing her down with the handle when she was in the middle of trying to get back up, and then pinning Alyssa down on her back by pressing the handle down across her chest with enough force to make it hard for her to breathe. Her arms were also trapped under the large weapon, making her pretty much helpless as he leaned closer.

"Hello again, my Alyssa." He whispered into her ear when she turned her head away. "I hope you're not _too_ jealous of my other girl… May and I have been together for _years_ , you see, but when I heard that the daughter of the great _Nancy Hamilton_ was coming here… well, I just _had_ to have you all to myself."

"How do you know my mother?!" Alyssa groaned while trying to squeeze out from under the weapon. "Why are you doing this?!"

For a moment her pursuer was silent, with a confused look on his face, and this distraction was enough to allow the girl to squeeze her way to freedom. She jumped to her feet, and started running for the edge of the stage, but he was right on her tail, forcing Alyssa to duck down to avoid the next swing of his hammer. She felt the wind on her head as the large weapon passed over, and there had been so much force behind it that missing caused her pursuer to stumble past her. Acting more out of reflex than anything, the girl shoved him forward as hard as she could, adding to the momentum, and making him cry out in surprise as he tumbled over the edge of the stage.

Of course, this had also blocked her planned escape route, so she turned around and ran behind the heavy stage curtain. Her hope was that there was some kind of exit for the performers, but the only thing she found was a metal ladder that was a permanent fixture of the back wall. It led up into the catwalks above, which was certainly _not_ somewhere that Alyssa wanted to go, but she could already hear her pursuer's footsteps coming up the stage stairs, so she was given little choice.

"Rooders aren't supposed to run away, my Alyssa." His voice taunted while she climbed. "Didn't your mother teach you _anything_?"

Trying to climb as slowly and quietly as she could, so not to give away where she was, the girl's new plan was to simply hide somewhere on the catwalks until her pursuer gave up and looked somewhere else. Then again, it was tempting to try finding out what this… _hammer killer_ knew about her mother, as well as what a Rooder, or whatever he had called her was, but Alyssa would just have to live with her curiosity unsated.

" _There_ you are!" Her pursuer declared as he came around the curtain. "Stop running, my Alyssa… join May as my plaything, and be mine _forever_."

Instead of compelling her to stay, his argument just made the girl climb faster until she was up on the catwalks above the stage. Unfortunately, since the ladder was a permanent fixture of the wall, it was only a matter of time before he was able to climb up after her. She tried to find another way down, but there was none… she also tried to shake loose one of the spotlights to throw at him or at least blind him for a moment, but they were bolted firmly in place.

"Nowhere left to run, my Alyssa." Her pursuer said as he reached the catwalks. "Your mother was a Rooder to be feared, but _you_ … such a pretty little disappointment, you are. Now May will continue to play her song for her father, but will _fail_ for all eternity, while _you_ … my Alyssa… will become the center of _all_ my attentions for _decades_ to come."

None of what he was saying made any sense as she backed away, but somehow Alyssa's mind was starting to draw conclusions. With all of the impossible things that had been happening, this all _must've_ been a dream, which was why it would make sense for the ghost of a little girl to be trapped in her own personal hell with the madman who killed her.

"Is that what she is, a ghost?" The girl asked, still backing away as he approached. "A ghost that you trapped here in the nineteen forties… so does that make you a ghost as well? But how could anyone, no matter how wicked, do this to a little girl… why did you kill her?"

"For the Entity." He replied, walking right up to her when she reached the very edge. "For the rage, and the screams… those fools thought they were rid of me that day at the gallows, but they were _wrong_ , and soon you and May will have _lots_ of company here. Kneel down, now, my Alyssa… and I promise to make your death even faster than May's was."

She was out of options, and scared out of her wits; this fear not being helped when her pursuer lightly touched the weapon to her face, caressing her cheek with the head. So what was she going to do? Fighting him seemed pointless, and Alyssa didn't want to die, so… should she jump? The fall would probably at least break her legs, if not kill her outright… but then she got an idea. It was ridiculous, and would probably just get her killed, making it no worse than the others.

The hammer killer chuckled to himself as she slowly crouched down to kneel, raising up the hammer just as slowly, but then Alyssa sprang forward. She put her shoulder into his stomach while hooking his leg with her arm, and he was completely taken off-guard; all these factors leading up to both of them screaming as they fell over the guardrail together. It only took a couple seconds to hit, the two of them missing the stage completely, and crashing to the floor near the seats. The pursuer landed on his stomach first, breaking Alyssa's fall, and causing her to have the wind knocked out of her as she rolled away from him... but now he wasn't moving.

The hammer had fallen in front of him, and once she was able to see what happened, the girl had to look away in disgust when she saw that the handle of the weapon had impaled him through the chest, sticking out through his back. Alyssa couldn't say that she felt sorry for him or anything, given the circumstances, but it was still a pretty horrific sight… until something shiny fell from the hammer killer's pocket.

It was a watch… no, not just _any_ watch… it was the same one that she had seen in the vision about May and her father, identified by the musical tone that played when the cover opened. It rolled across the floor, coming to a stop next to her, and when Alyssa touched it, she saw quick flashes of war. There were armed men screaming and running toward the enemy, but then there was an explosion… and May's father…

Suddenly the piano music started up again from on stage, and when Alyssa made her way back up the stairs, she saw that May's ghost had returned. Again she tried to play the piece, only to make the same mistake, but this time Alyssa opened the watch while setting it down on the piano next to her.

"May… I have something to tell you." She said sadly as the little girl looked at it. "Your father… there was an explosion… a shell… I'm sorry, May, but your father is dead."

The little girl just sat there, looking wide-eyes at the watch for several seconds before slowly starting to cry, and the only thing that Alyssa could think of to do was sit on the bench and hold her. So for the longest time they just sat there while May sobbed, but then suddenly the little girl stopped. She wiped her eyes before moving away from Alyssa, sitting so that she once again could reach the piano.

"May?" Alyssa asked.

"I have to finish." The little girl replied. "I have to get it right just once."

This time she played it a little slower, probably trying not to cry again, but this time when she got to the part where she had been off-key… May didn't have to stop. She got through it, and another light began to shine on them just as the piece was finished. At first Alyssa thought it was another spotlight, but then May looked toward it, and jumped to her feet.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed happily while running.

Alyssa then turned around and saw that it wasn't a spotlight, but a sort of glowing staircase that had just appeared. There was a familiar looking man standing about ten steps up, and she realized that it was May's father just as the little girl ran up and hugged him. Suddenly she was no longer blood-stained, looking just like she had been in the first vision that Alyssa had seen.

"Thank you, Alyssa." May's father said as he picked up his daughter. "Come on, May… let's go home."

Alyssa couldn't think of anything to do or say in response to everything that was happening in front of her, so she just stood there as May's father carried the little girl up the glowing stairs. They and the stairs faded away after a couple steps, and then the lights in the auditorium started to fade once they were gone. In fact, now everything was getting darker and darker, until the girl was left in total darkness.


	5. Chapter 5 Dennis

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Five: Dennis**

The darkness surrounded her until it was all that she could see; the sights and sounds of the music hall fading from existence until there was literally nothing… and then Alyssa opened her eyes, having to rub them in reaction to the light when it made a sudden return. At first she was a little disoriented, since it seemed like everything was sideways, but then she realized that this was because she was lying down… on a bed… her _own_ bed, in fact.

So that must've been it, she thought as she slowly sat up. She must have fallen asleep after coming up to her room, and everything that happened after that… May, the going back into the past, and even that _Hammer Killer_ … had all been just a dream. A really _strange_ , and _horrifying_ dream, but a dream nonetheless. This was great, since the girl would have started to doubt her own sanity if any of that had turned out to be real, but now she was still no closer to coming up to a solution to both finding her mother, as well as dealing with that dark man on the first floor.

Slowly standing up and smoothing down her skirt, she walked over to the wall and tried the light switch, hoping that the power would have been back on by then. Of course, it was still out, making her sigh with disappointment while thunder continued to rumble outside. The curtains over the windows that faced the side of the house were open, allowing her to see the rain pouring down over the forested countryside beyond, but then something struck the window that faced front, making Alyssa gasp as she turned toward it.

The curtains were drawn, making her unable to see what it was, but now the sound continued, faster now, but without a pattern, as if maybe a branch was getting blown around by the wind. Part of her wanted to simply ignore it and go hide back in the hidden common room, for fear that the Hammer Killer would be there, but she had to open them, if for nothing else then to reassure herself that none of it had really happened. So she slowly reached for the curtains, and then quickly pulled them back, only to let out a surprised shriek at what was waiting for her.

It wasn't a tree branch, nor was it the Hammer Killer… instead it was the familiar face of the only person she knew that could ever be dimwitted enough to try climbing up to a window during a thunderstorm. He had grown up a lot since she had last seen her childhood friend, but his red hair and overly happy face were still the same… at least they were until his smile was replaced with a look of fear when he started to slip.

"Dennis?!" She called, opening the window. "Dennis, is that you?! What on Earth do you think you're doing?!"

"Pull me up!" He yelled back, grabbing onto her while his legs searched for footing. "Hurry!"

It didn't help that he was flailing around like a rag-doll while she tried to pull him up, but eventually he found enough footing to get himself through. Unfortunately, Alyssa hadn't expected him to do that, so she was still pulling as hard as she could, causing them both to fall to the floor with him on top of her.

"Hi, Alyssa." Dennis said happily, catching his breath. "Long time, no see… wow, you've really grown up."

Alyssa smiled a bit, mostly just out of being happy to see him, but then she remembered the circumstances of how he had gotten into her house, as well as how it would look if anyone saw them on the floor, so she started smacking him on the arms and head. Dennis got the hint pretty quickly, scrambling off of her while holding his arms up to protect himself, and scooting all the way back to the wall before realizing that she was no longer hitting him.

"What do you think you're doing, entering a _lady's_ residence through a _window?!_ " She demanded, getting to her feet, and closing the window before more water got in. "And in a storm like this… Dennis, you could've gotten hurt!"

"I know, Alyssa, I know, and I'm sorry." He explained, still sitting on the floor. "But I banged on the door for, like, twenty minutes, and I _really_ wanted to see you… oh, and I have to give something to you."

There was no point in closing the curtains again, since there was little enough light to spare already, so after bolting the window, she turned back to him just as he stood up and took something out of his pocket. It was a key, which was unexpected, although the girl couldn't really imagine what _else_ he could have given her… and what was even more unexpected was that Alyssa recognized it after walking up to Dennis and taking a closer look.

"Dennis, this… is the key to my grandfather's room." She said, taking it into her hand. "But mum always keeps it with her, so… why do _you_ have it? Have you… seen her? Oh, my God, you _have_! You've got to tell me where you saw her, Dennis! _Where_?!"

"Calm down, Alyssa, calm down." Dennis replied, putting his hands on her shoulders. "It was this morning; she stopped by my house, said that you might be coming home from Boarding School, and that I was to give you that key if she didn't make it back in time. Of course, I would've come over even if I didn't have to… I really missed you, Alyssa."

She wanted to say something back, and it was great to see Dennis again, but at the moment all she could think about was her mother. She must have known that Alyssa would disobey her and come home, and she must have driven out to the train station to meet her… meaning that they probably just missed each other… and the girl probably would've noticed her mother's car passing by if she hadn't been so focused on herself during the taxi ride. But why would she give her the key to her grandfather's room? Had her mother left something in there for her?

"Alyssa, wait." Dennis called, stopping her when she started for the door. "Didn't you… miss me at all? I mean, how many other boys do you know who would be willing to climb up to your window in a thunderstorm just to see you? Are… are there others?"

"I'm sorry, Dennis." The girl replied, coming back and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I really missed you, too, and no… no one else is going to be climbing up to the window."

The boy's face turned even redder than his hair in reaction to the kiss, and he tried to say something, but all that came out was a smattering of nonsense. Alyssa couldn't help giggling a little about how flustered she had made him, and it really did feel good to have him there with her… and this gave her an idea. Even though all she had to do was pass through the common room to get into her grandfather's room, meaning that the dark man couldn't possibly get to her, now she wouldn't have to go there alone.

"Come on, Dennis." She said, taking him by the hand. "If mum gave you that key, then that means you get to help me look for… whatever I'm supposed to find."

"Sure thing, Alyssa." He finally managed to say as she dragged him toward the door.

She didn't want to admit that she was scared of the dark man, or that she liked the idea of having a strong looking boy like Dennis there to protect her from him… but… she was scared of the dark man, and she liked the idea of having a strong looking boy like Dennis there to protect her from him. So they passed through the hidden common room, where the fire was still burning, and with one turn of the key, they were able to pass through the door into her grandfather's room.

"Wow, look at this place." Dennis commented as they both looked around.

Alyssa hadn't been in there since before leaving for school three years ago, but everything was still just the way she remembered it. The large room was more like a study than a bedroom; even though his bed and nightstand was there, most of the room was dominated by the filled bookcases that lined the walls, as well as the large desk at the center. The girl honestly wasn't sure what they were supposed to find among all the books… and that made her remember what she had been doing before falling asleep.

"Dennis, could you do me a favor?" She asked. "I left a book in my mother's room, I, uh… think I dropped it on the floor. Could you be a dear and go get it for me?"

"Sure thing, Alyssa." He replied, turning back. "You can _always_ count on _me_."

With that, he was gone, and while Dennis went back through the common room toward her mother's room, Alyssa moved toward her grandfather's desk, where something caught her eye. It was a newspaper; kind of brittle to the touch, and pages having yellowed from time, but it wasn't the newspaper itself that caught her attention, but rather what was printed on the front page that was dated 1941.

 _HAMMER KILLER HANGED_

 _Robert Morris, age 32, the man more commonly known as The Hammer Killer, has been hanged, ending a ten month string of killings that stretched from June 6_ _th_ _to March 5_ _th_ _, when he was arrested in Hampshire. The execution was carried out this morning, and although witness accounts are too gruesome to recount for public dispersal, the people may rest assured that Morris is dead._

 _Morris's first victim was Tony Flannigan, age 35, a fellow employee at the Bradbury Stonecutting Factory where Morris had worked for more than ten years. A witness reported that Morris suddenly struck Flannigan on the head with his hammer, killing him instantly, before flying into a rage that resulted in the deaths of five other co-workers. Morris's victims number twelve in total, and no clear motive for these violent actions has been determined._

There was more to read, but as disturbing as it was to hear that there really had once been a Hammer Killer, the discovery of a second newspaper underneath it, made Alyssa feel even more uneasy as she set the first one down in order to pick it up. It was not quite as old as the first one, an issue of a paper called _The Daily Tribune_ , dated in 1963, but the article on the front page was by no means any less disturbing as she began to read it.

 _FAMILY TRAGEDY_

 _Mother and Son killed in Acid Bath Shocker!_

 _Last night, in a turn of events that shocked the usually quiet shipping community of Crawley, West Sussex, Dorothy Rand, age 63, and her son, the popular Toy-Maker Albert Rand, age 34 were discovered dead in a large drum containing acid. The bodies were discovered after a neighbor noticed a peculiar smell while walking past a garage that adjoined their home on Russell Street._

 _Police are currently seeking the location of a young man, reportedly claiming to be a relative of Mrs. Rand, who had been staying with the family since his arrival more than a week ago. If anyone has any knowledge of this man's whereabouts, they…_

Suddenly Alyssa's concentration was thrown as water began to drip onto the newspaper, and then the room was lit up by a bright flash of lightning. She looked up just in time for the crash of thunder that followed, and it took her a second to realize that she was looking at a dark, clouded sky. She was about to call for Dennis, but stopped when she looked back down to see that not only was the newspaper gone… but so was the whole room.

Somehow the girl was now standing outside, in some kind of shipping yard, based on all the wooden cargo containers stacked around the area, and now the rain was coming down even harder as she looked around for some kind of shelter from the storm.


	6. Chapter 6 The Rand Family

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Six: The Rand Family**

The first thought that ran through Alyssa's mind was that she had somehow traveled through time once again, meaning one of three things: She was dreaming, she was losing her mind, or something really strange was happening to her. Pinching herself on the arm in an effort to wake herself up, she winced a little from the pain, but found that there was still rain pouring down on her head. So, if she could feel pain there, then did that mean that all this was really happening to her? And if so… did that mean that her encounter with May's ghost and the Hammer Killer had been real as well?

Doing a quick spin in an effort to find a way out of the shipping yard, Alyssa discovered that there was a fence with an open gate only a short distance behind her. There was no visible moon in the dark clouded sky above, so the only illumination available to her came from the old fashioned looking street lamps that were spaced out at regular intervals along the cobblestone street beyond the fence. From what she could see, everything looked kind of run down, as if she had wandered her way into what could have been the poor part of any small city… but at least _this time_ the Germans weren't bombing her on arrival.

Still, there was not a single person in sight, nor were any of the lights on inside of the buildings that she walked past, making her attempts to open or knock on the doors of those buildings pointless. The rain was coming down harder now, making her have to put her hand above her eyes in order to keep the water from getting into them, but through the confusion and miserable conditions, she was able to notice one thing: That even though everything was old fashioned looking, it wasn't quite so dated as when she had traveled to London in the 1940's… so had she not gone as far back this time?

Regardless of the circumstances and details of her time travel, or _whatever_ it was that kept happening to her, she still needed to get out of the rain, and a possible opportunity for this came in the form of a wall light above the door of a nearby townhouse. Hopefully this time there would be someone at home, and the Hammer Killer was gone, so there was no need to worry about him coming back as she ran up to the door.

"Hello?" Alyssa called out as she knocked. "Hello, is anyone…

Her words stopped when her first knock caused the door to swing open with a rusty _creek_ , and even though she knew that it was rude to walk in uninvited, the girl couldn't imagine the owner of the house turning away someone who just wanted to get out of the rain. So she came in, closing the door quietly behind her while wiping her feet on the doormat, and then peering farther into the house. Like the rest of this part of town, the place looked run down, and was sparsely furnished, but at least it was well-lit by the bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

There was no answer when she called out a second time, so Alyssa decided to make her way down the narrow hallway, and that was when she heard something. It was soft at first, but gradually growing louder as if getting closer, and that was when she realized that it was a bell. A moment later a man came around the next corner, ringing the bell in his hand while feeling around with the black cane in his other hand. Obviously the poor man was blind, but that didn't mean that he couldn't help her, and she was about to call out to him, when she saw something else.

As he got closer, and she was able to make out more details, the girl saw that not only were his shabby clothes ripped and burned, but so was his face. His skin was blistered and reddened, but not enough to stop Alyssa from seeing the blood that ran down his cheeks from the empty holes where his eyes should have been. As much as she wanted to move or say something, the sight of this terrified her for some reason, making the girl unable to move or do anything while the blind man got closer.

Thankfully they were on opposite sides of the hallway, and it seemed that luck was on her side when the blind man walked right past her, but then he stopped. Remaining motionless for a moment, Alyssa couldn't help gasping when he suddenly turned and rushed toward her, forcing the girl to back up until her back was up against the wall. He stopped with his burned, eyeless face only inches from hers, and the girl tried to slide along the wall to get away, but this effort was stopped when the blind man hit the cane against the wall to block her path.

"Who are you?" He asked urgently. "What are you doing here? _Answer me_!"

"I… I'm sorry." Alyssa managed to whisper. "I didn't mean…

Her words suddenly became a startled _yelp_ when he growled while raising the cane, and then the girl cried out when he brought it down on her shoulder. The blind man was now in some of terrified rage as he kept swinging the cane, knocking Alyssa off her feet, and hitting her repeatedly while she tried to scramble away. One of the small tables against the wall was knocked over while she was crawling, causing the blind man to stumble over it, falling on his face while still swinging the cane around.

"Who are you?!" He screamed, flailing around as Alyssa moved farther away. "What's happening?! Mother… mother, I can't find you! Say something, please! Let me hear your voice!"

Still hitting the walls with his cane, the blind man eventually got to his feet, continuing to call out and ring the bell as he rounded the next corner. Alyssa felt horrible for whatever was wrong with him, but that didn't mean that she wanted to get any more stinging hits with that cane, so she decided that for now it was best to get away from him. Continuing on in the opposite direction as him, the girl opened the first door that she came to, closing it quietly behind her, and letting out a sigh of relief.

"Albert?" Another voice said, making her jump. "Albert, is that you? I've been waiting, and waiting, but I couldn't… Albert?"

Sitting at the table at the far end of the room, there was an older woman who appeared to be ironing a shirt. She had stopped upon hearing the door, asking her question while turning around, but her smile and hopeful attitude didn't make up for what else the girl saw. The woman's face was burned and blistered just like the man's had been, and her equally shabby clothes were in just as poor condition.

"I'm sorry… I'm not Albert." Alyssa replied softly, starting to approach. "Is he…

The girl never got to finish her question, as the old woman screamed in reaction to hearing a strange voice, and suddenly the whole atmosphere of the room changed. It became dark while she screamed for the girl to not come any closer, and then the wind picked up, throwing everything in the room, including Alyssa, around as if it had all been caught in some kind of spontaneous tornado. She couldn't help but scream herself as she was flipped and spun around in the air for a few seconds, only to find herself and several of the room's objects getting catapulted through the now open door.

The door slammed shut the moment that Alyssa flew back into the hallway, stopping the tornado, and knocking the wind out of the girl when she bounced off the wall, coming to a stop after crashing hard to the floor. Not wanting to risk getting hit with another cane, or thrown around by any more tornadoes, she scrambled away from the door, moving around to the far side of another table, and hugging her knees up to her chest. So far no one else was coming after her when she looked up and down the hallway, but she knew that staying where she was would solve nothing. What she needed to do was get out of that place, so taking one more look, she took a deep breath and continued down the hall.

Rounding the next corner, she was met with a staircase that led up to the second floor of the townhouse. There was really nowhere else to go, so the girl tried not to make any noise as she moved up the creaking, wooden stairs, and it was a closed door that greeted her once she got up to the short landing. Turning the handle, and opening the door, Alyssa found that she was in some kind of workshop. There were unfinished dolls, partially sanded rocking horses, and the like scattered around the room, as well as several tools on the workbench, and hoping to find something useful, Alyssa walked in.

However, aside from discovering another door on the far wall, there was nothing at all that would be of any use to her, and the girl was turning to leave, when the door was pushed open once again.

"Albert?" That same old woman from before asked when she walked in. "Albert, are you up here? I wanted to tell you that dinner's ready."

"Mother, what are you doing?" The blind man from before replied, making Alyssa gasp as he appeared out of nowhere on the other side of the room. "You shouldn't be using the stairs by yourself, not with your eyes."

But something was different… they were wearing those same shabby clothes, but they weren't ripped or burned… and they both had eyes. The old woman still used a cane as if she couldn't see, but neither of them had reddened faces, and the man's site was obviously intact, judging by the way he helped his mother find a nearby chair.

"You don't need to worry about me, Albert." The old woman continued. "Your old mum might have dicky eyes, but I'm not on my last legs just yet… so what are you making up here this time, eh? Some new toy that'll have the kids agog?"

"Not exactly." Albert replied as he picked up a colored shawl and put it around her shoulders. "Winter's coming, and I don't want you catching cold, so I've been busy making this for you."

The old woman smiled as she felt it, causing Alyssa to smile as well, but then everyone's smiles turned into gasps of fright as the workshop door was kicked open by a… by a man in a gas mask? He was also wearing a large chemical tank on his back, with a rubber apron and thick gloves, while holding something in his hands that looked like a hose with a… with a shower head attached? This was without a doubt the strangest getup that Alyssa had ever seen, and she might have laughed, if the first thing the intruder did after entering the room hadn't been to spray Albert in the face with the shower head with a yellow chemical.

The man had no time to react before it was done, and now he was screaming in agony while holding his now smoldering face. The old woman screamed in fear as well, but this was cut off when the intruder swung the shower head wildly, striking her in the side of the head. Albert tried to grab for the intruder while his mother collapsed to the floor, but the intruder ducked down, and sprayed him in the face again before picking him up over his shoulder. Albert screamed and flailed around as the intruder carried him over to a large metal drum, and then the intruder tossed him in upside down so that he couldn't get out.

"Such a happy family." The intruder said as he went back over to the old woman. "You make me sick!"

Hitting the old woman again with the shower head to stop her from crawling away, the intruder picked her up, and stuffed her into the drum upside down with Albert. He then picked up a large container that was labeled _ACID_ , still laughing hysterically at their screams when he popped the cork.

"May you both be blinded." He continued, pouring the contents onto them. "And search for each other in vain for all eternity."

There were three more containers on the floor, and each one was poured onto the screaming people until the screaming finally stopped, and Alyssa could scarcely believe what she had just witnessed.

"Hello, Alyssa." The intruder said, turning toward her once he was finished. "Want to join them? I hear the acid's just _lovely_ tonight?"


	7. Chapter 7 The Corroder

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Seven: The Corroder**

No, this couldn't be happening, Alyssa thought as she stared wide-eyed at the scene that was laid out before her. How was it even possible that _another_ crazed murderer had just killed someone right in front of her, and somehow knew who she was? Albert and his mother were dead, their bodies slowly being… being _corroded_ in that drum full of acid, and there he was… this costumed freak… this… _Corroder_ … the intruder who had done the horrible deed… was laughing about it.

"I got so excited when they said you'd returned home." The intruder said, still laughing as he adjusted the showerhead. "See, I got so tired of hearing about Nancy all the time… it was always _Nancy, Nancy, Nancy_. Well, it looks like Mr. Morris screwed up his chance with you, so now you're _mine_ , Alyssa, and this time… it's all about _you_."

Laughing again as he pointed the showerhead at her, Alyssa gasped and barely had enough time to move out of the way as the acid was shot over a _much_ greater distance than it had been when he had used it on the Rand family. The corrosive fluid immediately started to eat through the paint on the wall, and the intruder laughed when the girl tripped over a rocking horse, but he stopped when she started throwing things at him from where she landed on the floor.

"What are you playing at, Alyssa?" The intruder asked as a plate sailed past his head. "Where is your weapon? Unless… did you _truly_ come here without it? Oh, ho-ho, Nancy really didn't teach you _anything_ about being a Rooder, did she? Well, your _first_ lesson is _to die_!"

The Corroder slowly aimed the showerhead at her and squeezed the trigger, but at the same time Alyssa's hand closed around a bottle of some kind of chemical. She instinctively tossed it at him, and the glass shattered when the acid connected with the container. The chemical itself then burst into flames as it splashed onto him, making the intruder scream as his whole body burst into flames as well. He flailed around as the blueish colored fire consumed him, stumbling back toward the open door, and falling backwards down them after Alyssa tossed another heavy object at his head.

Now, if this Corroder was anything like the Hammer Killer had been, then a little fire and a tumble down the stairs was not going to be enough to stop him. It would, however, give the girl a chance to escape, so Alyssa got up and ran to the other door that she had seen. This one led to another wooden staircase, but this time it was outside, and behind the house, so she followed it in the hopes of finding a way out.

As she went down the stairs, the girl had some time to think about things a little bit more. Namely, how both the _Hammer Killer_ and the _Corroder_ seemed to know her mother. Both had referenced some kind of weapon that she was apparently supposed to have, and both had accused her mother of failing to teach her anything about… about being whatever the hell a _Rooder_ was. She wanted to dwell on these thoughts some more, but that was when she reached the bottom of the stairs… and saw something.

It was on top of the tall wooden fence that separated the backyards of this and the next townhouse, blowing in the wind, and she might not have not noticed it at all in the pouring rain, if not for the bright colors. It was the shawl that Albert had knitted for his mother, Alyssa was sure of it, and… it must've blown out the window or something during the struggle with the Corroder. Now she was remembering more about what happened with the Hammer Killer; how she had gotten May's father's watch back from him, and that somehow allowed the little girl's ghost to be free.

So was that it? Was that why she had gone both back to the 1940's and to this place? Was she there to save the Rands just like she had saved May? If that was the case, then she needed to get that shawl, so wiping the water out of her eyes and moving up to the fence, Alyssa jumped while grabbing for it. She missed, only by mere inches by the looks of it, so she tried again, but missed when the wind blew it slightly upward away from her hand.

"There you are!" The Corroder declared as he kicked open the door at the top of the stairs. "I'm coming for you, Alyssa!"

There was no more time to try and grab the shawl, since the intruder was now running down the wooden stairs toward her, so Alyssa had to abandon it for now. The fence was too high for her to climb, and there were no gates or other means of escape, leaving her only option to take the single door that seemed to lead back into the house. It was better than staying outside with the Corroder, so she pulled open the door, ran through, and was trying to shut it in order to lock the bolt, when the intruder shoved his arm with the showerhead through the opening.

He pulled the trigger, making Alyssa yelp while jumping back to avoid the spray that was now sizzling on the doorframe, and allowing the intruder to enter the room. The room, it turns out, was a large garage of some kind that took up most of the first floor of the house, by the look of it, and was filled with scrap metal, old machines, and the like. Laughing again, the intruder sprayed the acid at her, but the girl managed to avoid it by running sideways, and jumping up onto a low platform that was behind a bunch of iron bars.

"You can't save them, Alyssa." The Corroder continued, peering at her through between the bars. "Albert and Dorothy are _mine_ forever… their spirit and agony feeds me, just as _yours_ will."

Alyssa had no intention of letting him feed off her spirit, so she shoved the iron bars forward so that the fell onto him, and was about to jump down from the platform, when he grabbed her by the ankle. Pulling hard enough to get her foot right out from under her, Alyssa groaned when she landed _hard_ on her back on the platform, but then she froze when he shoved the showerhead right in her face.

"Does this _scare_ you, Alyssa?" The Corroder asked, leaning over her so his mask was close to her face as well. "Is the _little Rooder_ afraid? I can't _wait_ to see the look on Chopper's face when he finds out that _I'm_ the one who put your spirit in chains. That fool spent _decades_ obsessing over his _precious little Nancy_ , even going so far as to forbid us from going after her… but you're _not_ Nancy, are you, Alyssa? I'm going to blind you just like Albert and Dorothy, and then…

Alyssa couldn't deny that she was terrified to the point of shaking while the intruder gave his speech while holding the showerhead to her face. But then it happened: At some point during his rant about her mother, the intruder moved the showerhead away from her just a little, and that was when she turned his words into a grunt of pain by slamming her foot into his groin. This made him stumble backwards, spraying his own feet with the acidic fluid instead of her, and Alyssa took further advantage of this opportunity by picking up one of the bars, and swinging it right into the side of his head.

There was a loud _clang_ as the bar connected with his skull, making him groan and stumble sideways, but then the girl made another swing, this time making him fall to his hands and knees after stumbling from the impact. She was already getting winded from the effort, but the intruder was starting to get back up, so she raised the bar over her head, and brought it down onto his back with all her strength, dropping him down to the floor.

"You stupid wench." He groaned, starting to get up again. "You think I'll let you interfere? They thought they beat me at the chemical plant, too, but they were wrong. I'll always come back, and…

"Shut up!" Alyssa interrupted, bringing the bar down again. "Just shut up, you… you _lunatic_!"

Now breathing and sweating heavily from the effort of lifting the heavy bar, the girl raised it up one more time, but she was not fast enough to stop the Corroder. He let go of the showerhead, letting it and the hose hang from his side as he caught the bar with both hands, slowly standing up and then pushing Alyssa back until she was pinned against the wall with it across her throat.

"That's enough of your _lip_ , little girl." The intruder said angrily, pushing the bar enough to choke her. "We all have a destiny; _mine_ is to feed on more and more tortured spirits for all time, and yours… _yours_ is to die at _my_ hand, Alyssa."

The intruder pushed the bar harder on her throat, choking Alyssa to the point where she couldn't breathe at all, and no matter how much she kicked and punched him, she just wasn't able to shake him off. Her vision was starting to get dark now, but just as the Corroder was starting to laugh again, the girl's hand closed around the showerhead. This was her only chance, so she pointed it right in his face, and pressed the trigger, making him scream as the spray of acidic fluid made his face smolder.

This made him release his grip on the bar, and as much as Alyssa wanted to stay there and gasp for breath, she kept spraying the intruder, keeping with him as he stumbled backwards. He tried to grab the showerhead, but now his arms were smoldering to the point where his clothes and flesh were starting to melt, but Alyssa still didn't let up when he fell onto his back. She just kept spraying and spraying, ignoring his gurgles and choking sounds while his body slowly melted, and then he was still.

The girl kept spraying him until the tanks ran out, and then she dropped the showerhead on the floor. For the longest time Alyssa just stood there, staring wide-eyed at what she had done, and when she was finally able to move again, the first thing she did was run over to the corner of the room and vomit. She had seen the Hammer Killer's gruesome death only recently, but this was completely different. This was just… horrible… and she wondered how he could have done this to…

"Albert and his mother!" She exclaimed, remembering about them as she ran toward the door, intent on getting that shawl.


	8. Chapter 8 Peace for the Rands

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Eight: Peace for the Rands**

It was nice to get out of that garage, if for nothing else, just to be able to get away from the fumes of all the acid. That, and to no longer have to look at what was left of the Corroder, just as she had wanted to quickly get away from the Hammer Killer after _his_ death. The rain was still pouring, and the earthen smell that came with it was a welcome relief as Alyssa walked back to where the brightly colored shawl was hanging on the wooden fence.

It was still too high for her to reach, even by jumping, so she looked around for something she could stand on, when her eyes landed on a small metal bucket near the stairs that was about a foot tall. This was just what she needed, since each jump had only missed the shawl by a little bit, so she took the bucket, upended it against the fence, and stood on top of it in order to grab the shawl.

Finally she felt the material in her hand, and the falling rain seemed to stop almost immediately the moment she took it, the night sky clearing up by the time she stepped back down to the ground. This hardly shocked her, when compared to ghosts, murderers, and time travel, so the change in the world around her was pretty much ignored as she walked back up the wooden stairs, and into the house. The workshop was still a mess from what the intruder had done to Albert and his mother, and their slowly melting legs could still be seen sticking out of the metal drum, but this didn't worry her.

When she had seen the Hammer Killer murder May, the little girl's body had been left on the stairs, and yet at the same time she had been playing the piano at the music hall. This made it highly likely that the blinded versions of Albert and his mother were still wandering around downstairs, and if giving the watch back to May had saved her… then maybe the same thing would work for the two of them once Dorothy had been given the shawl. Down the stairs she went, making her way back through the hall, and into the room where the older woman was still sitting in exactly the same place that she had been the first time.

"Albert?" She asked, looking around with empty eyes as Alyssa approached. "Albert, is that you?"

Instead of answering this time, the girl simply draped the shawl over the older woman's shoulders, and when Dorothy touched it, she gasped as a flash of white light emanated from her. When it faded a moment later, her clothes were no longer ripped, nor was her face reddened from the acid… and her eye sockets were no longer empty. Gasping as she waved her hand in front of her face for a moment, the dripping blood that had been running down her cheeks was now replaced with tears of joy.

"I can see." The older woman said in disbelief as she stood up. " _I can see_! Albert! Albert, where are you?!"

A moment later the door was knocked open, making Alyssa gasp when the still blinded man stumbled into the room, cane tapping and bell ringing. He called out to her while still feeling around with his cane, gasping in surprise when his mother hugged him, and then the same light passed through him when he touched the shawl. Like with Dorothy, his clothes and face were back to normal, and most importantly, so were his eyes.

"I can see?" He asked as tears poured down his face. "Mother, I can see! I waited… I waited and looked for you for so long. "Thank you, Alyssa… thank you so much."

She wasn't quite sure how everyone that she met in these situation seemed to know her name, but right now this touching moment was too wonderful for her to care. A new light slowly shined down on them from the ceiling a few seconds later, and the Rands waved goodbye to Alyssa as everything around her faded into darkness. This was exactly what had happened before after she had reunited May with her father, so the girl expected to wake up lying on her bed once again as if this had all been part of the same weird dream. However, this time when everything came back into view, she was not in bed. In fact, she was back in her grandfather's room, standing over the desk in exactly the same place that she had been before.

"I found the book." Dennis declared happily as he walked through the door with it in his hands. "Alyssa, are you… all right? How did you get all wet like that? I was only gone for a minute."

Looking down at herself, she saw that her clothes were still damn from the rain, and her hair was matted down as well. The storm had long ago stopped outside her home, meaning that either she had gotten into the shower with her clothes on for some reason… or everything that she had experienced with May and the Rand family… had been real. Either way, she needed to get dry, as well as see what was inside of her mother's book, so she took the book before grabbing Dennis's hand, and pulling him back into the hidden common room.

"What's going on here, Alyssa?" He continued as she made them both sit on the sofa. "You're acting really weird."

"Just give me a second, Dennis." She replied, opening the book to the marked page that she had seen before. "My mother left this for me, so it must be important."

The large object that had been used as a bookmark, turned out to be a folded piece of paper, and Alyssa was about to open it in order to investigate, when the word ROODER caught her eye. This was the same word that both the Hammer Killer _and_ the Corroder had called her, so maybe this book would tell her what it all meant. The passage began by describing a group of nasty creatures referred to as _Entities_ ; powerful, immortal beings that were known to possess innocent humans, imbuing them with such utter ruthlessness and cruelty that the possessed were often driven to commit horrible acts of murder.

In such cases, the possessed human becomes a creature known as a _Subordinate_ , a kind of psychic vampire who feeds off of the tortured spirits of those they kill, meaning that simply killing the Subordinate was not enough. They would simply return again and again, each time resuming the bloodthirsty mission where they had left off. The book then shifted to a description of the only humans who were equipped to fight the Entities and their Subordinates… the _Rooders_. According to the book, Rooders were always young women in their teens, and had been fighting against their shadowy enemies for hundreds of years.

However, the book also warned that the power of a Rooder alone was not enough to truly vanquish a Subordinate, so long as it still had victims to draw strength from. Therefore the tortured spirit would have to be healed, usually by returning a possession of strong sentimental value. The Subordinate would then be weakened from the loss of its strength supply, and although it was _possible_ for a Rooder to defeat one in this state, it recommended recommended that she only do so with the sacred weapon of her family.

And there was another reference that both of her pursuers had mentioned; both had asked her where the weapon was, just before accusing her mother of not teaching her anything at all. So what was this weapon that everyone was talking about, and more importantly… _where_ was the weapon? She had seen no clue as to its location so far, and her mother had certainly never managed such a thing… but maybe there was something in the folded up piece of paper. So she opened it, and discovered that it was a handwritten document that looked like it had been pulled out of a journal… and it was written in her grandfather's handwriting.

 _February 2_ _nd_ _, 1978_

 _The Rooders, who battle the Entities, are scattered all over Europe, and we, the Hamiltons, are also of Rooder Stock, and of this lineage I am proud. The blood and power of the Rooders is passed down to females; my wife, Francesca, was a Rooder, and like with all the others, her powers peaked at age fifteen, and then gradually diminished completely by age twenty._

 _April 5_ _th_ _, 1982_

 _Francesca did a wonderful job in teaching Nancy all she knew about the Rooder ways, and for the past year since her fifteenth birthday, my daughter has bravely faced the Subordinates in their own realms. I worry, though, as her brutal and continued rivalry with a Subordinate known as Chopper has left her hospitalized on occasion. She refuses to go into details about their encounters, only gripping her Rooder weapon tightly while swearing to defeat him one day… but how am I expected not to worry?_

 _August 13_ _th_ _, 1984_

 _For untold generations, the women of the Hamilton family have spent their teen years fighting against the Entities and their Subordinates, and then marry in their twenties in order to produce the next generation of Rooders. My Nancy is already eighteen, and her powers are diminishing rapidly, meaning that it will soon be time for her to pass the job onto a daughter of her own. I am glad that this will prevent her from having to continue fighting against Chopper, but I am disappointed with her choice of men. Yes, Phillip was her childhood friend, and I must allow her to marry so that another Rooder can be born… but Phillip? Why him out of everyone?_

 _May 25_ _th_ _, 1988_

 _Joy of joys, another Rooder has been born into the Hamilton house! My first grandchild, whom Nancy has named Alyssa, is bright and lively, and I pray that the will grow up strong and healthy, in order to continue the family obligations as a Rooder herself. Nancy is overcome with motherly love, but Phillip… oh, that man angers me like no other. Even though some years have passed since her last battle, Nancy still wakes up sometimes in a cold sweat with the name Chopper on her lips, and it is for this reason that Phillip, suggested not raising Alyssa to be a Rooder. I nearly struck him right there, the only thing stopping me being that I did not want Alyssa first memory of me to involve beating her father._

 _May 12, 1998_

 _It has been many years since I wrote in this journal, but I must vent my anger. I should never have allowed my Nancy to marry a spineless pomp like Phillip, and now his cowardice is starting to affect her as well. Why, only this morning my own daughter informed me that she and Phillip did not wish for Alyssa to become a Rooder. I hate that man, and… I know what I must do._

This was a lot to take in, prompting Alyssa to set the book down, her hands shaking a little as she realized once and for all that everything that had been happening to her lately was absolutely _real_. She was a Rooder… and apparently so had been her mother and grandmother, but this was a horrible place for the journal to end. What did her grandfather need to do? And if the Subordinates were going to keep coming after her… where was this _weapon_ located?

"Did you learn anything?" Dennis asked, moving closer to look at the book. "What did it say?"

Alyssa was too overwhelmed to respond, so instead she just leaned on him while curling up into a ball, and Dennis didn't seem to have much of a problem holding her, which was really what she needed the most right then.


	9. Chapter 9 The Tower Rises

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Nine: The Tower Rises**

For what honestly felt like too short a time, Alyssa just sat there on the sofa in the hidden common room. She was really enjoying being held by Dennis, and it allowed her to feel safe for the first time since arriving at her home earlier that day. However, with her mother still missing, and the chance of being pulled into the domain of another Subordinate feeling more and more likely, she couldn't just sit there with him all day. It was difficult to figure out the words to use, but the girl did her best to explain to her childhood friend what had been happening to her.

Alyssa filled him in on everything. The letter and strange phone call she had received while still at boarding school, her uncomfortable encounter with the mysterious dark man, and lastly her nightmarish trek into the domains of the Subordinates. As she detailed the stories about her freeing the spirits of both May and the Rand Family, it was made a little easier by using the terms and explanations that she had found in the book. This, along with her grandfather's diary pages, helped everything to make more sense for her, and Dennis seemed to be taking it rather well.

"I think you need some time away from this house, Alyssa." He said as he stood up. "You can come over to _my_ place, and I promise you there won't be _any_ creepy lodgers… or much of anybody else around aside from the two of us. My sister is still at the refugee camp in Africa, and the last time she wrote, she said she won't be back for another six months, so how about it?"

Alyssa remembered Dennis' sister, Linda, and how she had become a nurse in that _Doctors Without Borders_ organization, which was how she paid the bills after their parents had died. Also, the idea of getting out of this house was tempting, but she just couldn't… not until she figured out what was going on. As much as she wanted to go with him, she at least had to find out what happened to her mother, and even though Dennis insisted that Nancy had driven away when she told him this, Alyssa was certain that the answer was in _this_ house. Dennis seemed disappointed when she was dine explaining, but then he smiled, and the girl gasped when he picked her up off the sofa.

"It's settled, then." He said, starting to carry her toward the door. "If you won't leave on your own… then I'll just have to kidnap you."

She had never been just _carried off_ by a boy before, and it was flattering, as well as amusing to watch him try to open the door back into her bedroom. Dennis managed it after three different attempts, and seemed full of pride at his accomplishment… that is, until he realized that he would have to open the other door as well; the one that she had locked after first coming upstairs to get away from the dark man. The boy's face turned red from the effort of unlocking it, and again failed several times to turn the knob, but finally he got it, and now all he had to do was reach the front door.

"And don't worry about your dark man, Alyssa, I'll leave him a note." Dennis laughed as they started down the stairs. "It'll say: _Dear dark and scary person; you can't have Alyssa, I saw her first, and I've taken her to… uh… Costa Rica. If you hurry, you might be able to catch the next plane, but you'll never find us, no matter how many years you spend searching_."

Alyssa giggled as she imagined the dark man reading this ridiculous note before hopping on a plane to Costa Rica, and then she gave Dennis a kiss on the cheek when they reached the first floor, making him stop walking. She was about to ask him why they were stopping, when the boy suddenly leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips. It was unexpected, and her surprised gasp was cut off by it… but it was nice. Closing her eyes and returning the sentiment, she was thinking about how much she was enjoying her first _real_ kiss, when a crash of thunder… along with a sinister laugh, ruined the moment.

Opening her eyes as Dennis set her down, they both turned around to see two very important things. The first was that there was no longer any light coming in through the windows, as if night had fallen… and the second was that the dark man, the mysterious lodger who had accosted Alyssa before… was standing on the staircase.

"Well, well, who would have thought?" He asked, leaning on the guardrail. "Quite a feat, destroying _two_ Subordinates _all by yourself_ … the Rooder strain appears to be _especially_ strong within you, Alyssa. However… your taste in men is _almost_ as disappointing as your mother's."

"You just… just _bugger_ off!" Dennis said, trying to hide his obvious fear. "Come on, Alyssa, let's get out of here."

The boy went to take her hand, but was stopped when the dark man raised his cane, causing it both it and Dennis to become enveloped in a kind of swirling purple energy that lifted the boy off his feet.

"Go?" The dark man laughed as Dennis was spun and flipped around in the air. "Yes, you certainly should."

With that, the boy was sent flying across the room, and into the dining hall, where Alyssa saw him crash into the table for an instant before the doors slammed shut. Calling out for him as she ran, the dark man laughed at the girl's attempts to pull the dining hall doors open, and then he laughed even harder when she turned around and ran straight toward him. The girl ran up the stairs with one of her hands balled up into a fist, but the dark man simply tilted his head to avoid it, and then hooked her ankle with his cane. Pulling upward roughly, Alyssa cried out as she was sent tumbling down the stairs backwards, and the dark man laughed when she tried to sit up after hitting the floor.

"Oh, Alyssa, don't you realize it?" He asked as more energy surrounded the cane. "This is no longer your home, it is the dark realm where _I_ rule. Now be a good girl and stay right there while I do some… _redecorating_."

Alyssa had no intention of just sitting there while Dennis was probably seriously hurt in the dining hall, but before she could get up, the energy from the dark man's cane seemed to engulf the whole house. There was a crash of thunder, and then came a horrible wind that literally tore apart her home like if a tornado had landed on it, but the debris did not settle. Instead, it continued to swirl around in the air, each one moving into position and then reorganizing themselves into a new structure. The whole place was becoming a single giant room, and a very long spiral staircase was starting to be built, when the floor underneath her started to move as well.

Looking down, and grabbing onto it just as the piece of floor took off flying into the air, Alyssa realized that the round, white colored section was no longer the floor she had known. There were Roman numerals around the edge, and after taking a second look, the girl noticed that the thing she was holding onto to keep from falling as the piece flew up in between the constructing staircase, was one of two hands of a clock. Yes, apparently it was a giant clock-face that was now carrying her high above the height of her old house, where a huge tower the size of _Big Ben_ was constructing itself.

There was an empty place in the… _clock tower_ … for the clock to fit, but instead of going right there, it flew up above the very top just as a series of torches lit up by themselves, and then it flipped over, making her fall. Screaming as she fell down to… a much shorter distance than she imagined, Alyssa found herself lying on the floor of some kind of elaborate ritual site like she had seen in the history books at boarding school. Suddenly there was a loud _bong_ as the now finished clock tower announced the _Nine O'clock_ hour, and there was another laugh as the dark man walked into view.

"Welcome, Alyssa, welcome." He said cheerfully as she got to her feet. "And look at the _time_ ; in _three hours_ the clock will strike midnight, and your fifteenth birthday will arrive… are you looking forward to it? So am I, my dear, so am I, I can't wait. When that happens, you and I will become one, and together we shall obtain eternal life."

"Eternal life?" She asked in disbelief. "What, through my torture and suffering, like the others wanted? Is that what you are, just another Subordinate? Well, I beat them, and I'll find a way to beat you, too."

Without a single clue as to what she was doing, Alyssa rushed toward the dark man, but was stopped as the swirling energy engulfed her, lifting the girl off her feet just as it had done to Dennis. But this time instead of flipping her around, it simply floated her over to the edge of the platform, before setting her down so that she was wobbling right on the very edge. Trying to move forward, she only started to fall, so the girl had no choice but to remain still as the dark man walked over to her.

"You may have defeated _two_ of my number, Alyssa." He began, setting the cane on her shoulder so that it steadied her. "But your mother was _fifty times_ the Rooder you are, and she was already killed by a Subordinate _hours ago_."

The girl was utterly shocked by this revelation, and immediately began screaming at him that he was lying, but then her words stopped when he took the cane from Alyssa's shoulder, and touched it to her stomach.

"What, you don't believe me?" The dark man asked with a slight laugh. "That's fine… then you can go to hell, and _ask her yourself_."

He then pushed the cane into Alyssa's stomach, making her lose her balance. Flailing her arms to find something to grab onto, her fingers closed around nothing but air, and then the only thing she heard was the dark man's laughter as she fell from the top of the tower, down into the darkness below.


	10. Chapter 10 Chopper

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Ten: Chopper**

The last thing that Alyssa remembered was falling down into the darkness, and for a while there was nothing. No sights, no sounds, no nothing until her eyes snapped open, and the girl gasped as she quickly sat up. She was somewhere different now, sitting on a little patch of rocky dirt that was like a tiny island in the water that was pooled around it. The water couldn't have been more than a couple inches deep, since she could see the settled dirt below, and all around her there were rock formations sticking out of the walls and ceiling.

The sounds of the clock tower being risen, and the laughter of the dark man could no longer be heard in this place, leaving the dripping water as the only thing that dared to pierce the silence. There were also candles around, placed almost strategically on the rocks so that their dim light was spread evenly throughout the chamber. She also didn't see Dennis anywhere, and remembered that the dark man had sent him flying into the dining room right before demolishing the house.

"Dennis?!" She called, getting to her feet. "Dennis, where are you?!"

Worried more about finding her childhood friend more than anything, Alyssa quickly moved around the chamber, searching for a way out. What she found was a small hole in the wall that was just big enough for her to crawl through, and when she reached the open area on the other side, everything looked different. There was now at least two feet of water on the ground, forcing her to stand up, and instead of a natural cave formation, this place was made of concrete and metal.

There was long abandoned machinery along the walls, and walkways above that could be accessed by the iron ladder that was mounted on the nearby wall. More candles were placed around, bathing this… _sewer system_ in the same dim light as in the cave, but the only thing she was concerned about was finding Dennis, so she walked over to the wall, and climbed up the old ladder. The dark man had thrown her downward, telling Alyssa that she could _go to hell_ , so even though the girl didn't know where she was, it seemed logical that going _up_ was her best bet for finding a way out.

Was this some kind of game to the dark man? Alyssa wondered as she climbed up to the next level. Was he simply toying with her until the clock struck midnight? And what was the big deal about her fifteenth birthday anyhow? She had learned from her grandfather's books that it was the time when a Rooder's powers hit their peak, but even so, how could that _possibly_ help the dark man?

Reaching the next level, and then finding another ladder which took her up to the one after that, she found herself standing on a narrow walkway, where about a foot of water flowed between it and the next one. The water seemed to be flowing toward an old storage tank of some kind, but then her investigation was interrupted by a _wooshing_ sound as something flew past her head from behind. The flying object spun as it flew, but stopped when it embedded itself deep into the tank, giving Alyssa just enough time to realize that it was a hatchet, before the compressed steam in the tank was released.

Striking her in the face, the steam burned so intensely that the girl screamed, forced to shut her eyes tightly while stumbling backwards. After only taking a single step, the walkway was no longer underneath her foot, causing her to fall backwards into the shallow water. The water was cold, however, and after rolling over onto her hands and knees, she splashed it rapidly onto her reddened face. Alyssa was just getting to the point where she could open her eyes again, when she felt something grab her by the hair so tightly that she cried out, but the sound was cut off when it forced her head under the water.

Flailing around to free herself, the girl's lungs were already burning since she hadn't gotten the chance to hold her breath, but then she was roughly pulled up to her knees. Coughing and gasping to suck in a breath, she was shoved back under the water again, this time for even longer before being pulled up. This time the grip on her hair forced her to stand up, and her blurry eyes saw a pale figure standing in front of her. A figure that interrupted her coughing by pulling her forward for a rough kiss, and then punching the girl in the stomach, dropping her back down to her hands and knees.

"Hmm… you _look_ like my Nancy." The figure said as she coughed and groaned. "You _smell_ like my Nancy… and you even _taste_ like my Nancy… but you're not. You're her little daughter, _Alyssa_ … a cheap copy of the _perfect_ original, and yet you _still_ managed to defeat _two_ of us. But where are my manners? My name was once Harold Powell… but _Nancy_ referred to me as _Chopper_."

Starting to catch her breath again, and with the pain in her stomach starting to subside, Alyssa looked up to see a slender man with white skin, and horrific scars across his body and face. He was shirtless, but on the belt that held up his tattered pants, there was a second hatchet which matched the one he was now recovering from the tank. He also wore a necklace around his neck, that of a large four-leaf clover charm, with a small emerald in each leaf. Something about this necklace was familiar, but by this time he had recovered the other hatchet, and the girl had more important things to worry about.

This Chopper then put it on the other side of his belt, and Alyssa recalled reading that name in her grandfather's diary pages. Chopper had been the name of her mother's rival during her own Rooder years, but this recollection was ended when the pale man backhanded her across the face, sending her back down.

"So, you came here to defeat me like you did the others?" Chopper asked, pressing his foot onto her back to hold her down when she tried to get up. "Well, I hate to break this to you, but your mother never managed to get rid of me completely, and neither did any of the _other_ Rooders that I've killed over the centuries."

Moving his foot off of her, Chopper grabbed Alyssa by the hair again to make her stand up, but this time she stood up even faster on her own, bringing her knee up into his groin. He cried out in surprise while bending forward, and the girl shoved him backwards before starting to run away, making the pale man stumble and make a _splash_ when he fell into the water.

"Nice trick!" Chopper called out with a laugh. "Careful, Alyssa, I think I'm starting to like you!"

Sprinting down the walkway as fast as she could, Alyssa's only desire at that moment was to escape. Having faced and defeated two Subordinates before this one, the girl had been starting to believe that she could handle anything that was thrown at her, but this was different. Both the Hammer Killer and Corroder had certainly tried to kill her, but _Chopper_ seemed like he wanted a lot more than just her death, and that thought scared her nearly to the point of tears.

So with no idea where she was going, Alyssa kept running until the pale man literally flew past her, landing on the wall and standing there as if gravity didn't matter. Of course, this stopped the girl in her tracks, but she wasn't able to do anything else before he dropped down and grabbed her. Taking her arm and twisting it behind her back so she was facing away, he grabbed her by the hair with his other hand, and pulled her up against him.

"I know what you're thinking, Alyssa." He continued, twisting her arm far enough for it to hurt. "And you're right… you're going to die at my hand, girl. Oh, and I _love_ your outfit, by the way… Nancy wore tight _bellbottoms_ that always showed her figure, but every time _you_ fall down, I get to see your underwear."

"Get away from me!" Alyssa yelled, stomping on his bare foot.

This distracted him for a second, but not enough for her to get away. Instead, he just tightened his grip, and made her walk forward. She tried to stop, or knock him off balance, but the way Chopper was holding her made it impossible to do anything except move forward.

"I know you're in a rush to die, Alyssa." Chopper laughed as they neared a door. "And I _promise_ that you will be imprisoned with the others in due time, but first I want to show you something."

Alyssa didn't want any part of whatever it was that the pale man wanted to show her, but as much as she kicked and struggled, they kept moving forward until he had to let go of her hair in order to open the door. Bending forward, and then coming back to slam the back of her head into his face with all of her strength, Chopper groaned from the hit, but then shoved her forward so that she stumbled through the door, and landed on her hands and knees on… the floor of her house?

She was back in her family's home, and it was back to normal; the lights were on, the floor was shining, and there was sunlight coming in through the windows. For a moment all of this pleasant scenery made her think that everything that had been happening was all a horrible nightmare, like when she had woken up in her bed after saving May from the Hammer Killer. But then footsteps came from behind, and this hope was shattered when Chopper grabbed her by the hair again.

"Don't dawdle, Alyssa, there's much to see." The pale man said, holding her so that she had to crawl along next to him. "And believe me… you won't want to miss it."


	11. Chapter 11 Father's Fate

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Eleven: Father's Fate**

Grabbing onto his wrist in an attempt to break his grip, Alyssa's efforts to free herself just made the pale man chuckle as he continued to make her crawl across the floor. It was a struggle to keep up with him, and it hurt the girl's knees to constantly hit them on the shiny surface, but she was more concerned with where Chopper was taking her. The answer to this question came when they stopped in front of the door to the dining hall, and when he opened it, Alyssa couldn't help but gasp at what she saw.

"Mum?!" She exclaimed as Chopper pulled her up to her knees.

But something was wrong… her mother looked younger, and her hair was a bit younger… that, and she was kneeling down next to a cradle that held a baby. Alyssa was about to call out to her again, but was stopped by the pale man clamping his free hand over her mouth. Chopper than shushed her, tightening his grip on her hair and mouth until she stopped struggling. Meanwhile, the baby cooed, reaching up toward the four-leaf clover necklace that Nancy was wearing… a necklace that was identical to the one that the pale man had around his neck.

"Do you like this, Alyssa?" Nancy said to the baby, leaning over to show her the necklace. "This has been handed down in the Hamilton family for generations. There are four leaves; one each for love, friendship, hope, and courage. This is what our family stands for… my mother was given this on her fifteenth birthday… then she gave it to me on mine… and one day, I'll give it to you… Alyssa, my sweet daughter."

"Aw, how sweet." The pale man commented. "You were such an adorable child back then, Alyssa… makes you wonder what the _hell_ happened to make you the way you are now. But alas… this isn't what I wanted you to see… come along."

Suddenly Chopper pulled Alyssa to her feet, before spinning her around so that she was facing him, and then throwing the girl over his shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes. Next he turned from the dining hall, running away from it and up the stairs while the door closed, carrying Alyssa through her grandfather's room, and out the next door which led outside. They were now on the balcony above the backyard of the house, and the girl could hear what sounded like two people struggling with something.

However, she was still faced toward the door, so the pale man had to turn around, allowing Alyssa to see something that shocked her even more than seeing her mother with her younger self. As she expected, the sounds were coming from two men struggling, but the part she _didn't_ expect was for it to be her father and grandfather. They appeared to be fighting… no… her father seemed to be trying to get away, while her grandfather was trying to… strangle him?

"Stop it!" Phillip yelled, struggling with the older man. "Dick, what are you doing?!"

"What I should've done years ago." Her grandfather replied, forcing him up against the guard-wall. "You're a disgrace, Phillip… no spirit, no spine… why, oh, _why_ did Nancy have to marry a man like _you_?"

Phillip broke free of her grandfather's grip, but then the older man bent down, wrapped his arms around her father's legs, and lifted, causing Phillip to tumble over the edge of the balcony. Alyssa's eyes were wide with horror as she watched her father fall toward the ground...right toward a double-bladed axe that was sticking out of a tree stump. There was a splash of red when Phillip came to a stop, and then he was still.

"Damn you, Phillip." Her grandfather said, smacking the top of the guard-wall as he looked down. "Damn you… as if your cowardice and defiance weren't bad enough, your final act will turn me into a vile murderer. But you won't beat me… no, you won't disrupt the Hamilton or Rooder legacy… I'll handle the police, and go to my grave beloved… while you… simply go to your grave."

Alyssa found herself unable to do or say anything in reaction to what she had just witnessed. Her hands were shaking, her face was flushed red with anger and confusion, and it felt like nothing could stop the tears that were falling from her eyes. Her grandfather was a _murderer_? He killed _her father_ in cold blood? No, it couldn't be true, it just _couldn't_. There was no way that she was going to believe what Chopper was showing her… but then she remembered the last entry in her grandfather's journal… the one about her father going too far… and knowing what he had to do.

"Well, that was certainly bracing." The pale man laughed, carrying Alyssa over to the edge so they could both better see Phillip's body. "Your father was _murdered_ , Alyssa… and it was your beloved _grandfather_ who did the deed. But don't take _my_ word for it… go and get a closer look."

Alyssa screamed as Chopper tossed her over the guardrail, but it was cut off when she landed in the grass, knocking the wind out of her. Rolling onto her side in order to try and get up before the pale man could capture her again, the girl gasped as she was able to get a _really_ clear view of her father's fate. Phillip was lying on his back, slightly propped up against the tree stump, with the axe blade embedded nearly all the way through his head. Suddenly a shadow across the ground, and as much as she hated to, rolling even closer to her father's body was the only way to avoid getting landed on when the pale man landed on his feet in the grass a second later.

"You're in a tough situation, Alyssa." Chopper said, turning to face her. "Your father murdered, your grandfather an unpunished murderer, and your mother… well, you'll soon be reunited with my Nancy, so I won't ruin the surprise."

"No!" Alyssa screamed, getting up to her knees. "No, it's not true, not a word of it! You're just another evil Subordinate of the Entities, and I'll stop you from ever hurting anyone else again!"

Under any other circumstances, she would've never touched the axe that was stuck in her father's head, but right now all she could see was Chopper and the cruel ways that he had been trying to manipulate her. So Alyssa grabbed the handle, yanked the blade out of Phillip's body, and swung the weapon at the pale man. Chopper jumped back, giggling as if he were amused, before spinning around to avoid her next swing. As he spun around, his leg swung into the girl's ankles, making her fall onto her back. She was a little slower to get up this time, and the pale man seemed to have an easier time moving out of the way when she swung the axe at his head.

"Not fast enough, Alyssa." He taunted, purposely stepping onto her father's body. " _Nancy_ would have hit me at least _twice_ by now."

Swinging the weapon a third time left her a little off balance, and Chopper used this opportunity to grab the axe by the handle, and pull it away from her while ramming his knee into Alyssa's stomach. The girl rasped as she collapsed to her hands and knees, coughing hoarsely while the pale man turned the weapon around so that he was holding onto the blade. Alyssa was just starting to get her breath back, and then she looked up just in time for the pale man to bring the wooden handle across the side of her head with a loud _crack_.

The impact was so powerful that Alyssa was actually brought up to a standing position, where she spun around and stumbled almost all the way across the yard before falling onto her back. Of course, to her, all she was aware of was seeing the handle coming at her, and then being in a different spot on the grass after her vision went dark for a second. She tried to move, but her whole body seemed to have gone numb, and talking was just as impossible, leaving her unable to do anything but moan softly as she rolled her head to the side.

"Oh, Alyssa, that was… _pathetic_." The pale man said, discarding the broken axe handle as he walked toward her. "Are you _sure_ you're Nancy's daughter? Tell you what; let's just go and ask her, shall we?"

Alyssa tried to move her arm in attempt to pull herself away from him, but now it was even harder to move than usual. Not because of the slowly fading numbness in her body or the ringing in her ears… but because the grass she was lying on was suddenly feeling not so solid. It was moving around underneath her, sort of like one of those _Waterbeds_ from the 80's, but instead of floating on top of it, she was starting to sink.

Fear and adrenaline were starting to override the after-effects of taking that blow to the head, allowing the girl to kick and flail around in an attempt to get back to solid ground, but then her legs sank, leaving everything up to her waist submerged in this… what was it, _quick sand_? As for Chopper, he was content to laugh while Alyssa slowly sank deeper and deeper, and now Alyssa started to get really scared when she found that she couldn't even pull her arms back out after they had gone under for a second.

"Nearly there now, Alyssa." The pale man laughed, getting down to eye-level with her. "Don't worry, you'll have _lots_ of company where you're going."

Still sinking, she struggled harder as it got up to just above her chest, and then Chopper grabbed her by the cheeks, giving her another rough kiss before putting both of his hands on top of her head. For a moment everything was still as they looked into each other's eyes, and then he pushed down, submerging her whole head. Now it was almost like she was falling, looking up at the light getting further away as she fell deeper and deeper into the darkness.


	12. Chapter 12 Prized Possession

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Twelve: Prized Possession**

As when she had been thrown from the top of the newly risen clock tower by the dark man, there was only darkness waiting for Alyssa after Chopper shoved her the rest of the way down. The girl wasn't sure how long she lay there on the hard ground when her eyes finally opened again, and although the pain in the side of her head was lessoning, she found it difficult to move for a time. The ground was hard cobblestone that formed pathways between the… _gravestones_?

Apparently she was now in some kind of cemetery, a really old one too, judging by the state of the crumbling tombstones and ruined monuments. The sky above was dark and filled with heavy clouds, but the light from the full moon allowed Alyssa to see that she was alone as she struggled to get up. She was glad that the Subordinate was gone, and while using the nearest gravestone to pull herself to her feet, the girl wondered how her mother ever managed to fight against such a monster, let alone multiple times.

It was getting easier to move now, regaining her balance after taking a few steps, but now she had absolutely no idea where she was. On the other hand, this hadn't stopped her from figuring things out when faced with the Hammer Killer and the Corroder, so she did a slow spin to see what was around. Most of the cemetery was nothing but an open circular plot, but directly behind her was an area that looked more important than the rest; a square-shaped extension of the cemetery that was filled with monument pillars that held up the crumbling roof of the whole covered area.

There was nothing else around of interest that she could see, so Alyssa walked toward it, and gasped as she realized that she was not quite as alone as she thought. There were others, several in fact, all girls who looked to be about her age. All were dressed differently, as if each was from a different time period, but that wasn't the most disturbing part. They all had shackles around their wrists, connected to chains that were anchored to the ceiling, essentially hanging them by their arms while their feet were unable to touch the ground. None of the girls seemed to react to her presence as she moved around between them, but then the girl's eyes went wide at what she saw next.

"Mum!" Alyssa yelled.

Running toward the center of the covered area, the girl found that her mother was chained up in the same manner as the others, and like them, Nancy didn't respond at all. Her eyes were open, as were all the other girls', but they all just hung their heads, crying softly. Alyssa made several attempts to get her mother's attention, including yelling at her and shaking her, but nothing seemed to work.

"Do you like it, Alyssa?" Chopper's voice said from behind, making her jump before turning around to face him. "I pride myself on my collection of Rooders; it's one of the _largest_ , you know. But again, I find myself lacking manners… let me show you around."

Alyssa found herself unable to move as the Subordinate walked toward her, but instead of attacking like he had before, Chopper walked right past the girl, moving all the way to the end of his _collection_ before turning the last girl's head to look in her direction.

"This is Heather; she was my first." The Subordinate said before moving to the next girl. "And _this_ is Rebecca; she screamed for her mother while I cut out her heart. Now here is Suzanne; only girl to ever knock me down with her fist, but as you can see… it didn't help her very much in the end. Most Subordinates make the mistake of taking personal items from their victims to help bind them, which also creates a weakness, but I never did that… well, except for Nancy's necklace, but I couldn't help myself."

Chopper continued to brag about what he had done to each girl as he moved around the collection, each one sickening Alyssa more than the last… and then he reached Nancy, and the girl balled up her fists in anger when he hugged her mother from behind.

"And here is my _prize possession_." He continued, kissing Nancy on the cheek. "Nancy gave me most of these scars on my body, and unfortunately, for some reason it becomes nearly _impossible_ to track a Rooder once their powers diminish, so I thought I lost her forever… until I had some help… oh, and look, Alyssa… there's _your_ place."

He pointed to the left, and Alyssa felt a knot forming in her stomach when an empty set of chains and shackles materialized next to her mother's. Chopper squeezed her mother tighter for a second as he began laughing, and at that moment the only thing Alyssa could think to do was run. She had to rescue her mother and the others, but this Subordinate was so much more powerful than the others, so she would need a plan. However, she had only gone a few steps after turning, when Chopper blocked her path after leaping over her. She tried to avoid him, but he grabbed her hair while twisting her arm behind her back with his free hand, now forcing her to move away from the collection.

"Now, I know you're in a hurry to join the others, Alyssa." The Subordinate said cheerfully, making her walk faster. "But lately it seems like there's always more for you to see… oh, and just so you know… I may play with you for a few years, but Nancy will _always_ be my favorite."

Struggling to break free, Alyssa just wasn't strong enough to manage anything more than slowing him down for a second, which only made Chopper laugh as he bent her backwards to keep the girl off balance. Suddenly there was a light shining in her eyes, and her attempts to escape stopped when she saw that it was from the headlights of a car. The car had apparently slammed into the cemetery wall, crashing most of the way through before stopping… and the driver was still inside. It was a woman with short brown hair, and there was a huge slice taken out of her throat.

"Mum?" Alyssa asked weakly as she was moved closer.

"Yes, this is where I killed her." Chopper explained. "Apparently she was in a hurry to get someplace, but she forgot all about that when I came flying through the windshield. It was a little disappointing to take her without her Rooder powers, but I was really starting to enjoy her screams before they were stopped by the crash. Here, get a better look at the scene."

Releasing her and shoving her forward, Alyssa stumbled before falling right on top of her mother's purse near the driver-side door. The contents were spilled all over the ground, and she could see the Subordinate's shadow moving up behind her, so she grabbed the first thing she could get her hand on, a white object with elaborate carvings that actually looked like a handle of some kind, and turned to toss it at him.

However, something in her refused to let go of the object, and Chopper's eyes went wide as a curved arc of light shot out of the top and bottom of the object as if it were a bow. Alyssa had no idea what she was doing as she grabbed onto it with her other hand, but when she drew another string of light back, and a glowing arrow appeared, she got a pretty good idea. Letting go of the string, the glowing arrow was sent flying toward the Subordinate's chest, but he moved, causing it to hit him in the arm instead.

"Oh, clever girl." Chopper grunted. "I knew I forgot something… hmm… it was a _sword_ for Nancy."

And there was something else: When the Subordinate tried to move toward her, he found himself unable to. When the glowing arrow struck him in the arm, a glowing chain shot out from the wound, quickly anchoring him to the spot. For a moment he seemed surprised at this, but then Chopper grabbed his hatchet and there was a flash of light when he sliced the chain in half. It took Alyssa a second to realize what she had done to him, but then she realized that this was her only chance, so she drew back the string, sending another glowing arrow into his leg, anchoring it.

"You're going to pay for that, Alyssa." He continued, raising the hatchet to cut himself free. "I am going to…

His words became a groan of pain when the girl pulled back the string, making him drop the hatched as the next arrow went into his wrist. Chopper quickly grabbed his other weapon, but Alyssa was too fast. She had no idea what she was doing, nor had she ever shot a bow before in her life, but instinct was taking over, and it must've been her Rooder abilities that allowed her to send the next arrow into the Subordinate's hand.

Now weaponless and anchored by both arms and a leg, it was Chopper's turn to struggle helplessly, groaning each time she put another arrow into him… and she put _a lot_ into him. Soon the Subordinate was anchored by over a dozen arrows all over his body, and Alyssa was about to send one right into his face, when she stopped. Marching up to the Subordinate, she grabbed the four-leaf clover necklace and tore it from around his neck before pulling her leg back and slamming her foot into his groin with all her strength.

" _This_ belongs to my mother." She said, pulling the string back. "Now here's the last one."

But instead of sending it right into his face like she planned, something made her want to aim the arrow upward instead. It made no sense, but the drive to fire the arrow up into the air was overpowering, so she did it, both of them watching intently as it flew upward until it could no longer be seen. A second later there was a flash of light in the sky, much greater than that of the glowing arrow, and it screamed down toward the bound Subordinate like a fiery comet.

"Well played, Alyssa." The Subordinate said defiantly as the light neared. "But I have one last thing to show you."

Chopper screamed in absolute agony as the fiery comet struck him head-on, and the whole cemetery was illuminated so brightly that Alyssa had to shield her eyes. But in the brightness, there was something else… there was a voice that could be heard through the explosion, and although it sounded familiar, she just couldn't place it.

" _If thy true desire is to become an Entity, there is no purer path than this_." The voice said as the light started to fade. " _Remove the heart of a fifteen year old Rooder of the same bloodline, and before the beat of her heart is stilled, drink deeply of her blood. Thus, the Ritual of Engagement will be completed, and the dark power of the Entity shall be thine_."

Then it was over… the light and the voice were gone, and Chopper… he was gone as well. She had done it… she had defeated the Subordinate who had tortured so many Rooders, but the voice that Chopper had shown her right before his death left her afraid. Her heart had been mentioned before, but now it made sense… but who? Who wanted to drink her blood and become an Entity? Who would do such a thing?


	13. Chapter 13 Double Trouble

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Thirteen: Double Trouble**

Returning to the covered area with the four-leaf clover necklace in hand, Alyssa moved past all of the still captive Rooders from the past, until she came to Nancy. Her mother was still unresponsive, sadly staring toward the ground like the others, but then the girl carefully put the necklace around her neck. Suddenly the whole graveyard was flooded with an ambient white light that almost seemed like mist. One by one the other Rooders started to lift their heads, blinking and looking around as if confused.

"What happened?" The first one asked as her and the others' chains faded away. "Is it over… are we free?"

"Yes, you're free." Alyssa replied happily as she walked up to her. "Chopper is gone… you're all free."

The rest of them were all awake now, some smiling, and others weeping with joy as they hugged each other. With as much fear and pain that Chopper had inflicted on her in just a short time, it was hard for Alyssa to even _imagine_ what the Subordinate must have put them through… and from their clothes, it appeared that some of them had been trapped there for a _very_ long time.

"Thank you, Alyssa." Another one said as the whole group started to float up into the air. "Thank you so much."

The Rooders called goodbye to her, waving as they floated upward before finally vanishing through the roof of the covered area, and Alyssa waved back while the ambient light slowly faded back into darkness. Unlike all the other times where she had been immediately transported back to where she had been before entering the Subordinate's realm, this time the girl remained in the cemetery, without a clue as to what she was supposed to do next. That is, until something moved behind her, causing Alyssa to turn around, with a huge smile forming on her face at what she saw.

"Mum!" She exclaimed, running to Nancy and hugging her.

Her mother had finally recovered as well, and the feeling of being held by her was possibly the most wonderful thing that Alyssa had ever experienced. She had done it… she had defeated probably the most powerful Subordinate in the world, and saved not only her mother, but also the dozen other Rooders who had been trapped.

"I'm so sorry, Alyssa." Nancy said, hugging her more tightly. "I'm so sorry you had to face him… in all the years we fought, he never kept anything from his victims… not until he finally got _me_ … I'm so proud of you, Alyssa."

Alyssa was about to return the sentiment, but then there was a flash of lightning, followed by a crash of thunder as someone grabbed her by the arm, ripping her away from her mother. It was the dark man, and he threw the girl to the ground before advancing toward Nancy. Her mother tried to get away, but he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her in and spinning her around so that she was restrained with his cane pulled across her throat.

"Mum!" Alyssa called as she got up, readying the Rooder bow. "Mum! You let her go!"

"Sorry, my dear Alyssa, but it's not the easy." The dark man replied, keeping Nancy in front of him as a shield. "You see, it is I who will carry out the Ritual of Engagement and become an Entity. Chopper might have failed, but now you have no choice but to submit to my final Subordinate, and donate your heart."

"No, Alyssa, stay away!" Nancy yelled as she and the dark man started to fade away. "Stay away!"

Then they were gone, and then in another flash of lightning the cemetery was gone as well, replaced by a dismal looking street that sort of reminded her of the 1940's where she had faced the Hammer Killer. The street, sidewalks, and surrounding buildings were all made of concrete, but at least this time she wasn't being bombed by the Germans, and there were plenty of lampposts to let her see.

"Alyssa!" A voice called, making her turn again. "Alyssa!"

"Who's that?" She asked, squinting as a figure ran toward her. "D… Dennis? Dennis!"

It was her friend who had vanished back when her home had been changed into the clock tower, and now Alyssa found herself running toward him just as excitedly. They threw their arms around each other when they finally came together, but then the girl burst into tears, sobbing into his shoulder as he reported that he had been looking everywhere for her.

"Alyssa, what is it?" Dennis asked as they both sunk down to their knees. "What happened?"

"It's my mum!" She sobbed. "That dark man… he took my mum! I finally found her, and then he took her away!"

Dennis held her lovingly while the tears continued, but as much as Alyssa wanted to just sit there and break down, it didn't change the fact that her mother was still in danger. She had to rescue her from the dark man, but… how? The man commanded the Subordinates, and could transform whole buildings into… other buildings, so what was she supposed to do?

"Then let's go get her." Dennis replied, moving his head back to look at her. "I don't really understand, well… anything at all about what's happening here, but… you can count on me to do anything I can to help you. So, come on… let's go save your mother."

He then brought up his hand, gently wiping the girl's tears from her cheeks, and then there was no stopping the sudden urge that Alyssa felt to kiss him for the second time. She could feel herself rapidly falling in love with her childhood friend as the kiss continued for a lot longer than their first one had, but then everything stopped as the sound of a window being loudly opened reached her ears.

"Dennis!" A female voice called. "Dennis, is that you down there?"

The kiss was broken as they both turned to look at the same time, and what they saw was a young woman in a nurse's outfit leaning out a second floor window of the closest building… which appeared to be a hospital, based on the faded emblem above the main door. She looked familiar, although Alyssa couldn't quite place her, but Dennis had no problem.

"Sis!" He called happily, waving to her.

"What?" The girl asked as the nurse ducked back into the window. "Your sister, Linda? But you said she wouldn't be back for another _six months_."

Something was wrong here, she could feel it in every inch of her body, but there was no convincing Dennis. Alyssa called for him to wait, but he rushed right through the doors of the hospital, giving her no choice but to follow him into the old and abandoned looking lobby. Some of the emergency lights were on, allowing them to see the cracked walls and broken waiting benches. Again calling for him to wait, but her please falling on deaf ears, Dennis looked around for a second before running over to a set of double doors.

Bursting right through them, Alyssa had to follow into a long ward where a long row of dirty, unmade hospital beds were was along each side of the room. However, there was no sign of Linda, giving her another chance to stop Dennis, but then that chance ran out when a small side door opened, allowing his sister to walk through.

"Sis!" Dennis exclaimed as he ran up and hugged her. "I'm so glad you're back!"

"I _had_ to come back, Dennis." Linda replied, returning the hug. "I just couldn't leave you alone in that house any longer."

Maybe Alyssa had been wrong, she thought as she watched the two of them. Maybe there really was nothing wrong, and Linda had simply come back early. Dennis was certainly convinced, saying again and again how much he missed her, but then the young woman's body began to glow with a dim purple light as it changed into… someone else. When the light faded, it was no longer Linda that was hugging him, but a beautiful Asian girl with pale white skin, and a very tight-fitting outfit.

"Dennis, look out!" Alyssa warned. "That's not Linda!"

"I've missed you too, Dennis." The pale girl laughed when he saw her and tried to get away. "Kiss me, you fool."

He tried to pull away, but was unable to stop her from dipping him backwards and mashing her lips onto his. Pulling him back up a couple seconds later, the pale girl spun him so that he was facing away from her, restraining him in a kind of sleeper hold while grinning at Alyssa.

"Bad news, friend." The pale girl laughed, tightening her grip on Dennis. "Looks like Dennis is going to be _my_ boyfriend, now. But don't worry, my brother seems to like you."

Alyssa was about to ask what she meant by this, when the door next to her flew open, and she was struck by a fast moving gurney. It slammed into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her as she was bent over it, and the gurney kept going until it slammed into the wall behind her, causing the girl to cry out in pain as both she and it toppled over onto the floor. That was when she saw the person who had been pushing the gurney… a pale young Asian man who looked and dressed a lot like the pale girl.

She tried to reach for the Rooder bow on her belt, but the pale guy grabbed her, pulling her to her feet and restraining her with the same kind of sleeper hold that his sister was using to hold Dennis. The girl struggled and kicked at him, but it seemed to do no good no matter how hard she struggled.

"Hello Alyssa, nice to meet you." He said, tightening the grip on her throat. "I'm Ralph, and you've already met my sister, Jemima. I think her and her boyfriend want some alone time, though, so say bye-bye."

"Bye-bye." Jemima laughed as she started pulling Dennis backwards.

"Let me go!" Dennis yelled, thrashing around.

He struggled to get free, but the pale girl simply twisted him around and slammed him down on top of another gurney. She then started running it toward the doors at the far end of the room, jumping on top of it so that she was straddling Dennis when they went through the doors, vanishing from sight when they closed.

"So, I heard you defeated Chopper." Ralph continued, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I guess that means I've got you all to myself… you've got some remarkable power for a Rooder, but no one is strong enough to beat me and my sister by themselves."

He tightened his grip on her more, making the girl cry out as she kept trying to struggle, but the situation looked bad. She had always been able to come out on top against the Subordinates that were put against her, but how was she supposed to deal with _two_ of them at the same time… when one of them had Dennis?


	14. Chapter 14 Scissorman

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Fourteen: Scissorman**

"It's no use struggling, Alyssa." Ralph said as he continued to restrain her. "Now be a good girl and go to sleep, so that I can take your heart and use it to create a new Entity."

The girl could feel herself starting to weaken from the grip of his arms around her neck, but Alyssa also had no intention of simply _giving_ her heart to them. There were too many people counting on her; the dark man had her mother, and that pale girl, Jemima, was doing who knows what to Dennis, so instead of trying to pull away, she backed up toward Ralph as hard as she could while hooking her leg behind his.

Clearly the pale guy had not been expecting this, made obvious when he cried out in surprise as they both fell down, and it allowed her to escape his grip enough to scramble away. Readying the Rooder bow as she scooted underneath the nearest bed, Alyssa sent a glowing arrow toward him, but Ralph did a sort of sideways spin, avoiding the arrow while jumping to his feet.

"Nice try, Alyssa." He laughed while pulling a set of what looked like long golden daggers out from behind his back. "Now hold still."

Leaping up onto the bed, the pale guy plunged the daggers down through the thin mattress, making Alyssa gasp as one of the blades struck the floor only an inch from her head. The blades quickly retracted, and she had to roll out of the way to avoid the next stabs, causing her to scoot out from under the bed and keep going until she was underneath the next one.

Still laughing, Ralph jumped down and overturned the bed that he had been standing on, and then he did the same to the one that Alyssa was currently hiding under, making her have to crawl under the next one… and then the next one… and then the next one until she found herself under the very last one. The pale guy continued his pattern of overturning them, but this time he received the shock of his life when he flipped it over to see the Rooder bow aimed at him.

There was no time for him to react this time as the glowing arrow slammed into his face, making him cry out as he was thrown backwards. As with Chopper, a glowing chain formed, anchoring Ralph to the spot, so Alyssa fired again and again, but he was still able to roll and spin his way to avoiding them, regardless of his now limited field of movement. The girl continued to send the glowing arrows at him as she got to her feet, moving back toward the door that Jemima had taken Dennis through, and then rushing through it while Ralph raised his blade to sever the chain.

Once through, she found the gurney, but it lay on its side, apparently having crashed into the nearby wall, and that was when Alyssa realized that she was inside a stairwell. There were probably only seconds before Ralph freed himself, so she turned and ran up the stairs, reaching the entrance to the second floor and running through it just in time to hear the door being kicked open back downstairs. Now in a long hallway, she tried each door on both sides, but none of them were opening, and the pale guy's footsteps could now be heard coming up the stairs.

"Alyssa!" Ralph's voice called as it got closer. "Come on, I only want your _heart_!"

Finally the knob on one of the doors turned, so she opened it and ducked inside, closing it and locking the bolt just as the stairwell door was heard opening. Dropping down to the floor and hugging her knees up against her chest, the girl tried to be as quiet as possible, hoping that her pursuer wouldn't find her. As she had done, Ralph could be heard checking each door as he moved down the hall, and she shut her eyes tightly when the knob above her head started to shake.

"Don't be like this, Alyssa." He continued, starting to walk away. "If you come out now and surrender to me, I promise to make it quick."

Not moving or even opening her eyes until his footsteps could no longer be heard, Alyssa finally did, and breathed a long sigh of relief when she realized that she was safe for the moment. So she got to her feet, and looked around the room for something, or rather _anything_ at all that could maybe get him to stop moving long enough for her to use the Rooder bow. However, except for a corner desk, the room was empty, but in the flickering emergency lights she was able to see that there was something on the desk. It was a couple of pages with handwritten notes just like the ones that she had found in her grandfather's room.

 _July 15_ _th_ _, 1998_

 _During my research into Rooders and the Entities that they fight, I have stumbled onto an incredible document. It is an account of a ceremony known as the 'Ritual of Engagement' by which a person can actually be transformed into an immortal Entity by obtaining the heart of a Rooder and drinking her blood on her fifteenth birthday. Though I am disgusted by the nature of this ritual, I must admit that there is a part of me that cannot resist the allure._

 _January 13_ _th_ _, 1999_

 _My continued investigation into this Ritual of Engagement has yielded another discovery. It is a tale that details the life of one named Lord Burroughs, and the document contains a strange triangular crest, said to be the key to become an Entity for the one who solves the mystery of said crest. I must admit that I have been unable to decipher it, but perhaps the answer lies out there… somewhere else._

 _January 5_ _th_ _, 2000_

 _I have trudged around this blasted continent until my shoes are almost worn through, but I am no closer to discovering the location of the ancient castle of Lord Burroughs. I believe that there I will find the clues necessary to solve the triangular crest's mystery… but where is it?_

Given her grandfather's obsession with unlocking the secrets of the Rooders, of which his wife, daughter, and granddaughter were all part of, it was understandable that his curiosity would lead him to studying the Ritual of Engagement, but it was still disturbing. Could this research have been where the dark man had learned about it? Had he met Alyssa's grandfather somewhere out there in the continent, and used what he learned to come after her. If so, then what had he done to her grandfather?

This was just another of the many things that the dark man would have to answer for, and he certainly would once Alyssa got to him. Of course, to do that, she would have to somehow get past Ralph and Jemima, but she couldn't just leave Dennis with that… with that… that _bitch_. Anger started to flow through the girl's body as she readied the Rooder bow, imagining the pale girl inflicting onto her childhood friend even a _portion_ of what Chopper had done to her, and now she was ready to continue on.

"Hold on, Dennis." She whispered to herself as she unlocked and opened the door. "I'm coming."

The hallway was silent as she stepped back into it, and in the flickering lights there was no sign of her pursuer. This was the only possible way that Jemima could have gone with Dennis, so Alyssa kept the bow ready while she continued down the hall. The girl moved slowly, trying to not make any noise with her footsteps as she passed room after room, but then her next step sounded heavier… like, a lot heavier… as if had been made by someone else.

Quickly spinning around, she found herself face to face with Ralph, who smacked the bow off target, causing the glowing arrow to harmlessly strike the ceiling. As for the pale guy, he grabbed Alyssa and shoved her up against the wall, taking out the daggers again, and holding them together so that the blades were on each side of her neck, like a giant pair of scissors.

"I'm the winner." He said happily, moving up against her. "Now, I know it's frightening, the thought of screaming and crying while I remove your heart… and there _will_ be plenty of both… but that's not _half_ as bad as what I'm going to do to you when your spirit is trapped in my realm _forever_. Still, through the pain, the humiliation, and my having my way with you in _every_ sense of the word… you will _always_ have a clear view as Jemima does the _exact same thing_ to _Dennis_."

A surge of anger suddenly made the girl see red as she thought of Dennis being put through the hell that her pursuer was describing, and this caused her to risk having her throat cut when she grabbed him by the shirt and slammed her knee into his groin. Ralph groaned as he stumbled back a bit, freeing her from the blades, and allowing Alyssa to swing her arm, striking him in the head with the object that was the center of the Rooder bow.

Taking only enough time to let off a single shot with the bow, the arrow missed when the pale guy dodged, but this was really only to give the girl a head start as she sprinted down the hall. There was another door up ahead, and she could hear Ralph's angry growl when he ran after her, but she didn't look back. She just kept running and running, crashing through the door, and then her foot got caught on something.

The girl had been at full sprint, so there was nothing to stop her from falling on her face, but to her surprise it wasn't a hard floor that she landed on… but dirt. Dry, rocky dirt that skinned her knees as she fell, but when she looked back toward her pursuer, the door, as well as both Ralph and the door were just gone. The sky was black, but the full moon allowed Alyssa to see a few scattered dead trees in the area around her… as well as a really old looking stone wall with an open metal gate.

Getting to her feet, and approaching the wall, she saw that beyond the gate was the courtyard of an equally old looking castle… a castle where a large clock tower at the top was the predominant feature. Looking back for a second, and seeing nothing but more dirt and dead trees, it was obvious that this was the way she was supposed to go. So taking a deep breath, and hoping that Dennis was okay, she stepped through the gate and into the castle courtyard.


	15. Chapter 15 Burroughs' Castle

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Fifteen: Burroughs' Castle**

Thunder rumbled softly in the sky, and soon a light rain began to fall, kicking up little puffs of dust as the drops impacted the dry dirt while Alyssa walked toward the ancient looking castle. However, the weather quickly turned into a downpour, causing the girl to have to run across the courtyard, leaving her completely soaked by the time she reached the heavy front doors, and pushed them open.

The wind kicked up again as she tried to push the doors closed again, and after considerable effort the girl was successful, muffling the sounds of the storm outside as she put the heavy bolting latch into place to hold it there. Water was pouring off of her, causing a pool to form on the stone floor when Alyssa wrung out her hair and skirt. Looking around as she did so, she discovered that she was now inside the main hall of the castle; an expansive chamber with stained glass windows, and dimly illuminated by candles that were mounted all across the walls.

"Welcome to Lord Burroughs' castle." A female voice said, making her gasp. "I'm not surprised you found your way here… after all, so did your grandfather not too long ago."

She had only ever heard one person who had a voice like that, and that was Ralph's sister, Jemima, causing Alyssa to immediately ready her Rooder bow. However, the pale girl was nowhere in sight, and given the amount of pillars and decorative statues around the main hall, she could have been hiding anywhere. So the girl decided to be smart, keeping an arrow drawn while slowly moving around to check each pillar.

"He came here to discover the secrets of an old crest." Jemima's voice continued. "He succeeded, and in doing so learned a lot about his heritage. Did you know that your grandfather is directly descended from old Lord Burroughs? Well, neither did he, but of course… oh, I'll just let you find out the rest on your own… if you live that long."

"That's enough, Jemima." Alyssa said loudly, trying to hide her anxiety. "I don't care about you, or anything else you have to say… all I want from you is Dennis, so either hand him over or come out and…

Alyssa's words were turned into a startled gasp as Jemima suddenly rushed out from behind a pillar to her left, and then the pale girl grabbed onto the object at the center of the Rooder bow, ripping it out of the girl's hands when she spun around to kick her in the stomach. Alyssa was knocked off her feet, crashing to the floor as the pale girl hooked the object onto her belt.

"How did a frail thing like _you_ ever beat Chopper?" Jemima asked, folding her arms while the girl scrambled to get up. "I mean, here we were, thinking that _Nancy_ was going to be the one getting in our way… that's why Chopper was told how to find her, since Rooders become impossible for us to track after their powers fade away… but now both Nancy _and_ Chopper are gone, and you're still here."

Jemima chuckled to herself for a second, but then became serious as she charged at Alyssa. The girl had no time to react before the female Subordinate grabbed a hold of her, punched her in the stomach, and slammed her face down on a nearby table. The pale girl then kicked her feet out from under her so that Alyssa yelped as she fell to the floor, and then Jemima pinned her down on her back. She used her knees to hold down the girl's arms, before taking out a golden dagger like the ones Ralph had, and holding it to the girl's throat.

"So tell me the truth, Alyssa." Jemima asked, grabbing Alyssa's hair with her other hand, and pulling so that her head was tilted back. "Did Chopper touch you? Did he take you like he did to all the other Rooders? He _certainly_ had a good time with your mother once _her_ spirit was trapped. Come on, it's just us girls here… did you _enjoy_ it?"

Being unable to move, yet still enraged by the female Subordinate's comments, Alyssa spit in her face. Jemima closed one eye when it landed on her cheek, and then she laughed for a second before punching the girl in the mouth, causing Alyssa to cough and spit out a little blood once the blow turned her head roughly to the side. The pale girl smiled at this reaction, but then she moved the dagger away from the girl's throat, moving it so that the tip was pointed underneath her breast, and Alyssa couldn't help crying out when Jemima began to push the blade in.

"Fine then, straight to business." The pale girl continued, pushing the blade in farther, and making Alyssa scream as blood started to stain her shirt. "I can cut out your heart right now, and there's not a damn thing anyone can do to stop me."

The blade was pushed in even further now, and the pain was so great that the girl started to cry while kicking and thrashing around. She couldn't reach the Rooder bow, nor could she free herself, no matter how hard she kicked and jerked her body to get away from it. Was this it for her? Alyssa wondered as Jemima continued to work the blade into her. Was she going to die right there, and never get a chance to be with Dennis?

Jemima pushed the blade into her a little bit further, but then she pulled it back out, releasing Alyssa by moving off of her and getting to her feet. The tears continued to flow as the girl rolled onto her side, clutching the wound on her chest while looking up at the female Subordinate with a mixture of fear, hate, and confusion as to why the pale girl hadn't cut out her heart.

"Or, maybe I won't." Jemima suggested, looking down at her. "Maybe you managed to get past me, and maybe my brother couldn't find you either once I led him away. Does that sound good to you, Alyssa?"

"What are you talking about?" Alyssa replied with a shaky voice as she wiped her tears.

Instead of attacking again, the pale girl put her dagger away, and offered her hand to help Alyssa up. The girl didn't take it, so the female Subordinate reached down, grabbed her arm, and yanked her to her feet.

"I'm talking about _Dennis_." Jemima explained, letting go of her. "I like him, Alyssa… he's handsome, and I want him, but he'll never submit to me completely as long as he believes you love him… whether you're dead or alive. So I want you to reject him, _convincingly_ , to his face. I want you to break his little heart so _perfectly_ that he'll _crawl_ to me, and if you do this I'll let you go. I'll even protect you from my brother, so that there will be nothing stopping you from completing your ridiculous quest to rescue your mother from your grandfather."

"What?!" The girl replied, shocked by the offer. "How can you think that I'd _ever_ leave… wait, what about my grandfather?"

The female subordinate just stood there for a second, but then a smile crossed her lips until she started laughing just as frighteningly as when she and her brother had first appeared in the hospital.

"You mean… you don't know?" Jemima asked, walking back up to her. "Oh, this is going to be _delicious_ … come on."

Suddenly grabbing Alyssa by the hand, the girl was nearly pulled off her feet when the pale girl started running across the main hall. Jemima led her through a set of double doors at the far end, which was apparently a large study, filled with elaborate furniture, old books, and the whole room was dominated by a huge portrait of a man on horseback… a man who's face looked exactly like her grandfather. Once inside, Jemima quickly pulled her off to the side of the room, and down so that they were sitting together on a small bench, shushing her as if they were about to watch a show.

Alyssa was about to ask what was happening, when the double doors opened again, and her grandfather walked into the room. She was about to call out to him, warning him to watch out for Jemima… but then she remembered when Chopper had shown her something that felt like this, and realized that the female Subordinate was showing her the past.

"Lord Burroughs, I've found you at last." Dick said as he slowly approached the portrait. "Lord Burroughs, who once sought to perform the Ritual of Engagement on your own daughter, but whose attempt was thwarted by fate. Though the villagers eventually killed you in retaliation for the massacre that was brought by your rage, I have learned that your son survived under a false name… and I am his descendent."

"Jemima, what is this?" Alyssa asked. "What's going on?"

"Shush." The female Subordinate replied. "You won't want to miss this."

"So it is the Entities that have brought us together after four hundred years?" Dick continued, looking at the portrait. "Am I supposed to resurrect Lord Burroughs, and merge with him in order to perform the Ritual of Engagement with Alyssa? Do you seriously expect me to stab my own dearest granddaughter in the chest?! Is that what you want?!"

Swelling with pride at her grandfather's rejection of the ritual, Alyssa couldn't help but shed a tear of joy. Even though he had vanished, and the worst might have happened to him at the hands of the dark man at some point, at least she knew that he loved her more than anything else... but then Dick began to laugh. It was loud and hysterical, similar to the way that Ralph and Jemima had done, and it frightened the girl even more than when she had bene tortured by Chopper.

"Well, that isn't so bad." Her grandfather said casually. "Once the deep is done, than I will be joined with Alyssa forever, so return to this Earth, Lord Burroughs. Join with me so that we may complete the Ritual of Engagement! Enter my body, and let our flesh be fused!"

Suddenly there was a loud crash of thunder, and then the portrait started to melt, becoming a large puddle of red liquid that flowed down onto the floor. It continued moving until it reached Dick's feet, and then it began to cover him as if he was being consumed. Her grandfather continued laughing even after his whole body was consumed, and his form could be seen changing size until the red liquid was completely absorbed into him, and Alyssa gasped at what she saw.

It was no longer her grandfather standing there… it was the dark man.


	16. Chapter 16 Scissorwoman

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Sixteen: Scissorwoman**

Unable to completely process what she had seen, Alyssa just sat there on the bench next to Jemima as the vision of her grandfather faded away. She wanted to keep telling herself that it was a cruel lie, and that her grandfather couldn't possibly be the dark man, but everything that Chopper had shown her had turned out to be true, so what logical reason did the girl have to doubt these ones?

"Well, now you know everything, Alyssa." The pale girl said softly, holding Alyssa and stroking her hair. "The one who is after your heart is none other than your own dear grandfather. He murdered your father, sold out your mother to Chopper, handed us your boyfriend, and now he's going to cut out your heart… well, he's _definitely_ related to Lord Burroughs."

"It's not true." Alyssa whimpered as the tears started. "It can't be true… Jemima, please, I'm _begging_ you, please tell me it isn't true."

The girl broke down completely, sobbing into Jemima's shoulder as the female Subordinate held her. She knew that the pale girl was more than likely to kill her at any moment, but right then Alyssa didn't care. Because of her grandfather, the man whom she had trusted and loved more than all, she was losing everything. Her mother, her home… now all that was left was Dennis.

"Aw, there, there, Alyssa." Jemima replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I could tell you that it wasn't true, but it would be a lie. Still, you'd like a chance for revenge, yes? Well, all you have to do is break Dennis's heart and abandon him to me, and I'll clear the path for you right to your grandfather. What do you say?"

She was on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown, and the pale girl was doing a _very_ good job at playing it against her, but Dennis was all she had left at this point. So Alyssa just sat there for a second, before grabbing the object from Jemima's belt, and drawing back a glowing arrow while jumping up from the bench. The pale girl gasped and tried to avoid it, but the arrow hit her leg, anchoring her to the spot with a glowing chain.

"I say _no_ , Jemima!" Alyssa yelled, sending arrow after arrow at her. " _No_ , you won't take Dennis from me!"

The pale girl was anchored to the bench, but she still had enough movement range to use it for cover by ducking around it, and flipping it over while she took out her golden daggers. Using them like scissors, she cut the chain, but instead of attacking Alyssa, she leapt right over her, and ran for the doors.

"Dennis is _mine_ , Alyssa!" Jemima called as she ran out the door. "Broken hearted or not, he'll still be mine forever once I trap his spirit!"

Sprinting after her, Alyssa crashed through the doors, but the female Subordinate was so fast that she had already reached the other side by the time that the girl re-entered the main hall. The girl drew back another glowing arrow, and sent it at her, but Jemima was already passing through the next door, causing the arrow to disburse harmlessly against it when it swung closed behind her. So she continued running, passing all the way through the main hall, and nearly tumbling down a short staircase after crashing through the door.

She caught herself on the guardrail, and then looked to see that both Dennis and Jemima were there, but the scene was bad. This room looked like some kind of torture chamber, and Dennis was strapped down to a long table, while a huge pendulum blade swung back and forth over him. Each time it swung, the blade lowered just a bit, meaning that if she didn't do something soon, her childhood friend was going to be killed.

"Let him go!" Alyssa ordered, drawing back another glowing arrow.

"I don't think so." Jemima replied, staying behind Dennis for cover. "Of course, Dennis can save himself if he confesses that he loves _me_ , and _me_ alone. How about it, Dennis? Swear that you love me, and that I'm a hundred times prettier than Alyssa, and I'll let you live… here with me, _forever_."

The pale girl then leaned over to forcibly kiss Dennis, and Alyssa knew that this was her only chance. It was going to be the shot of a lifetime, but there was no room for doubt, so she aimed, and sent the arrow flying toward its target. Her aim was dead on, and the arrow struck Jemima in on top of the head, but what the girl didn't expect was for the glowing chain to anchor the pale girl to the pendulum.

The female Subordinate screamed as she was lifted off her feet as the blade passed, slamming her into the wall, dragging her across the floor, and then slamming her into the other wall before she was able to sever the chain. The pale girl fell to the floor, and quickly jumped to her feet, but she was noticeably dazed and disoriented, giving Alyssa the opportunity to draw back another arrow.

This one hit her in the stomach, anchoring her to the floor, and without giving Jemima a chance to even react, Alyssa hit her with another, and another, and another, until the pale girl was completely immobilized. The female Subordinate struggled and growled her frustration as Alyssa walked up to her, but then stopped moving when the girl drew back an arrow with the head just inches from her face.

"You _bitch_!" The girl yelled as the arrow appeared to gather energy. "You horrible, awful, selfish, nasty, evil, man-stealing bitch! You want to take something from me?! Well, here's the last one!"

With that, Alyssa released the glowing arrow, and Jemima screamed as she was engulfed by a flash of white light. When it faded, the female Subordinate had been completely destroyed, but there was no time to be spent on her any longer, since she still had Dennis to save. So she ran over to the obvious control lever for the pendulum, and pulled it, causing the blade to stop where it was, and then she rushed over to Dennis in order to free him.

"My hero." He said with a sigh of relief when the blade stopped. "What took you so long?"

The ropes were easy enough to untie, and then her childhood friend jumped off the table, grabbing her and pulling Alyssa in for a kiss. At the moment this was what she needed the most, so she kissed him back, and even found herself wrapping her legs around his waist when he picked her up into his arms. They just kept kissing and kissing, until Dennis lost balance and they fell onto the long table again, but this didn't stop the kissing… that is, until she opened her eyes for a second, and gasped when she saw his body glowing with a purple light as he changed into...

"You're a wonderful kisser, Alyssa." Ralph said once he had completely transformed. "I see now why Chopper liked you and your mother so much… oh, your boyfriend is over _there_ , by the way."

Holding down her wrists, and squeezing them until she dropped the Rooder bow, the pale guy forced them above her head, holding them and her hair with one hand, while taking out one of his daggers and tossing it across the room. It struck the latch of a closed wooden coffin that had been propped up against the wall, causing the lid to open, and a rather dazed Dennis to stumble out. He made it about three steps before falling on his face, and then Alyssa's attention was diverted back to Ralph when he took the other dagger out from behind his back.

"Hmmm, tough choice." He continued, running the smooth side of the blade across her cheek. "You're _so_ beautiful, Alyssa, and I think I'm falling in love with you, but at the same time… you kind of killed my sister, so… oh well, I'll have plenty of time to discuss this with your imprisoned spirit _after_ I cut out your heart."

He was too strong for her to break the grip he had on her wrists and hair, and the fact that her legs were stuck around his waist, pretty much left her immobilized as he pointed his blade into the wound that Jemima had given her. Ralph smiled before slowly pushing the blade into the wound, making Alyssa scream and thrash around.

"I see my sister started the work for me." He laughed, pushing the blade in just a little bit more. "Now, hold still, Alyssa, I just need to get under your rib."

Still screaming from the agony, the girl was whipping her head around in an effort to free herself, when she saw something moving behind Ralph. It was Dennis, still obviously dazed, but making his way to the far end of the table, where he reached for the pendulum's control lever. Ralph was just starting to laugh again, when Dennis pulled the lever, and suddenly he stopped laughing.

The pendulum blade swung down toward him, stabbing the entire point through his back, and protruding from his chest as it lifted him off of Alyssa. The blade was pulled out as well, allowing her to roll off of the table before it swung down again, slicing Ralph in half when his legs hit the table again. Both halves landed on the table, flopping down to the floor on opposite sides, and the girl rested sitting against the wall as Dennis crawled his way over to her.

"Dennis!" She exclaimed as they hugged. "Dennis, I love you! I need you to know that before anything else happens… I love you, Dennis."

"You're my hero, Alyssa." He replied, kissing her on the cheek. "You saved me from that awful girl… and I've been in love with you since I was six years old."

They remained there, hugging for what felt like the longest time, until Dennis noticed the blood stain on her shirt. Tearing a piece from his own sweater, he made a sort of makeshift bandage, but the pain was already starting to lesson, as if part of her Rooder powers was making a quick recovery. That would make sense, especially given the caliber of the Subordinates she had been fighting.

"Come on, Dennis." She said, using him to help herself stand. "We have to…

Suddenly there was a flash of lightning, and with the crash of thunder that followed, she saw that the world around her had changed once again. She and Dennis were no longer in the ancient castle, but standing at the bottom of a very long circular staircase… the same one that she had seen when her home had first been turned into the clock tower.

"What a touching scene." The dark man's voice called from above. "You've destroyed all the Subordinates, and you even managed to save your miserable excuse of a boyfriend. You're becoming even stronger than your mother was, but you've still got to destroy me. If you want to save Nancy, then come to the top of the clock tower… I'll be waiting."

"Grandfather, wait!" Alyssa called, starting up the stairs. "Come back!"

"Alyssa, wait for me!" Dennis called, running after her. "Wait, did you say _grandfather_?"


	17. Chapter 17 The Alter

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Seventeen: The Alter**

As hard as it still was for Alyssa to believe that the dark man, the one who had been responsible for every single bad thing that happened to her since returning from boarding school, was really her grandfather, it was probably even harder for Dennis to understand it, since he hadn't been there for everything that she had. There was still a small chance that both Chopper and Jemima had been lying to her, but it wasn't a very good one, and the girl just knew that she was not going to like what was waiting at the top of the tower, no matter what the truth actually was.

The thing that really kept running through her mind as she and Dennis ascended the incredibly long staircase, was what she was supposed to do once they reached the top. Was she going to have to fight her grandfather like she had done with the Subordinates? And more importantly… was she going to have to destroy him like them as well? Could she even _do_ that? After all, her grandfather was still human… wasn't he?

When they finally reached the top of the stairs, there was a trapdoor in the ceiling, and when it was opened, the two of them climbed up into the massive gear-house of the clock tower. It was a series of gigantic interconnected gears that all turned together to make the clock work, but there was no visible way to move around them, let alone get up into the higher levels of the tower.

"I think we can crawl under some of them." Alyssa suggested, pointing at a spot high enough to crawl under. "Then I think we might have to walk across _those_ over there, but… I don't know how we're going to get all the way up _there_."

"Maybe we can ride some of them up." Dennis suggested, pointing off in another direction. "You see those over there… I think we can hold onto the spokes as it turns upward, but we'll have to be careful once it gets closer to the top."

It was a better plan than standing around and doing nothing, and there were no other options available, so they crawled under the first gears, and in doing so began a rigorous course of balancing, jumping, and climbing gears, which almost resulted in both of them falling several times as they worked their way up. For a while it seemed like the gears would never end as they moved up and across, up and across, up and across.

Finally, though, after about a dozen more near-falls, and who knows how many gears, they were finally able to step off of the constantly moving surfaces, and onto a landing on what they assumed was the top floor. The landing was short, and there was a single door on the far wall, meaning that this was clearly the right way.

"I don't really know what's going to be waiting for us." Alyssa confessed. "I'm scared, Dennis."

"Everything will be all right, Alyssa." He reassured her while taking her hand. "Just remember that I'll be here for you, no matter what."

She smiled, and was truly grateful to have him there, even though she knew that there was a good chance of both of them dying. Part of her wished that she had obeyed her mother and stayed at boarding school instead of coming back, or at least ran from the house when Dennis had first suggested leaving, but it was too late for that. The only way left to go was forward, so the girl squeezed his hand as they walked forward, stepping through the door and out onto the elaborate ritual site where she had been dropped when the tower was first created.

And they were not alone… the dark man was standing near the center next to a large stone slab that looked like an alter, facing away as the two of them slowly approached. But then he slowly turned around, and his body glowed with the same purple light that Ralph and Jemima had used, reverting him into the familiar form of Dick Hamilton when it faded.

"Grandpa?" She asked nervously, squeezing Dennis's hand a little tighter.

"I've been waiting for you, Alyssa." Dick replied casually. "You don't know how hard I tried to find Burroughs' castle, in order to become one with you. It's almost funny, actually… you see, the castle stood in the exact same place where the Hamilton house is today, so three years wasted. You've grown up since I left… you've become a young woman; the mirror image of my Nancy when she was your age, and like her… your taste in men is poor."

" _Her_ taste is poor?" Dennis argued, stepping a little forward. "Not half as bad as her _grandmother's_ , apparently."

Dick glared at him for a second, and looked like he was going to raise his cane to strike him, but instead the old man just sighed.

"Phillip was the same way." He continued. "Rescued my Nancy from Chopper _one time_ , and next thing you know, he's the father of my grandchild… but you don't have to worry about that, Alyssa. Once the Ritual of Engagement is complete, you and I will become a new Entity, and be together forever."

"No!" Alyssa shouted, stepping ahead of Dennis. "Grandpa, I saw what happened to the other Rooders whose hearts were used… they were trapped in Chopper's realm, and so was _mum_! Can't you see, grandpa, this ritual is sick and evil… please, grandpa, come to your senses, and give me my mum back!"

Instead of answering, the old man simply pointed off to the right, and Alyssa let go of Dennis's hand when she recognized the figure of her mother. She ran up to it, but stopped just as suddenly when she realized that it was a statue. The likeness was perfect, but it was not Nancy, and she was about to demand to know where her mother was… when a terrible thought entered her mind.

"Nancy betrayed me more than once." Dick explained. "She married that good-for-nothing, lily-livered Phillip, and then she tried to prevent me from becoming one with my most precious granddaughter. I thought that without her powers, her old enemy would have been enough to contain her, but since you managed to defeat even Chopper… this was my last resort."

"Damn you!" Alyssa yelled, readying the Rooder bow and aiming at him. "You're not my grandfather, I don't know _who_ you are anymore! But I _do_ know that I'm a Rooder, and I'll destroy you to save my mum!"

"Right, Alyssa!" Dennis cheered her on. "Knock him down like you did Ralph and Jemima!"

She figured that the old man would've been intimidated by this gesture, or at least hesitant, but instead he appeared to be amused as he started chuckling to himself. Then the purple light surrounded his body, turning him back into the dark man, but the transformation didn't stop there. He became bigger and more powerful looking, dressed in the ancient clothes, and carrying the sword of Lord Burroughs.

"No, you will not, Alyssa." He said defiantly. "In a few minutes the clock will strike twelve, and signal the arrival of your fifteenth birthday, at which time the Ritual of Engagement will commence. Lay down on the alter, girl, and prepare to surrender your heart to me."

He snapped his fingers, and like what had happened before, the girl cried out in surprise as she was lifted up into the air and spun around by an unseen force. This caused her to drop the Rooder bow as her clothes were replaced by a white ceremonial dress, and then she was slammed down hard onto the alter. Before she could do anything, a set of restraints appeared, holding down her wrists and ankles.

"Give up, Alyssa." The old man taunted as she struggled. "No one can help you now… not even your dear _mother_."

He then swung the sword, and Alyssa screamed as the blade shattered the statue of Nancy into a hundred pieces, leaving only the four-leaf clover necklace as it fell to the ground.

"All hail Entities of the Earth." Dick said, moving to stand over the screaming girl. "Burroughs and I will now carry out the ritual to become a new Entity. Ghosts haunting the human realm… Subordinates dwelling in the shadows… all gather now to witness the glorious Ritual of…

Suddenly his words were interrupted, and became an outcry of surprise and pain. For while he wasn't looking, Dennis took something out from under his sleeve; it was a long golden dagger… one of the ones that had belonged to Ralph, and during the speech he ran up behind the old man, leaping onto his back, and stabbing the blade down into the base of his neck with all his strength.

The old man spun around in an attempt to shake him off, but Dennis held firm… at least for a little bit until the blade slipped out, and he fell to the ground. Dick held his hand over the wound, grimacing in pain while Dennis scrambled over to Alyssa, cutting the first of her restraints just as the large clock started to strike the midnight hour.

"It is time, Alyssa." Dick continued, still grimacing in pain as the rest of her restraints were cut, freeing her. "Merge with me into a new Entity, so that we can be together forever."

"Get your bow, Alyssa!" Dennis exclaimed, holding up the dagger. "I'll hold him off!"

The girl jumped off the alter, grabbing for her bow while Dennis ran toward the old man, but in response to the attack, Dick simply kicked him in the stomach, followed by a punch in the head when he doubled over. Dennis collapsed onto the ground, and the dagger slid away until it fell over the edge.

"You little toad." The old man growled raising his sword to finish the boy. "To even think that you would be worthy of my granddaughter!"

But the killing blow was stopped when he had to lean out of the way when a glowing arrow flew at him, and the old man looked back to see that Alyssa already had another one drawn.

" _You're_ the one who isn't worthy, grandpa!" Alyssa declared. "And now you're going to face my judgement!"


	18. Chapter 18 Judgement

**Clock Tower 3**

 **Chapter Eighteen: Judgement**

Sending the glowing arrow at him, Alyssa expected it when he used the sword to deflect it, since the last three Subordinates were strong enough to do the same thing, so she immediately shot another one, striking him in the stomach. The old man pulled against the glowing chain that appeared to anchor him so that it would be tight when he raised the sword to cut it, but the girl had no intention of giving him the chance.

Drawing the next arrow back, and releasing it, Dick grunted as it hit him in the raised arm. There was no way that Alyssa was going to give him even the slightest chance to defend himself, not after everything that he had done; killing her father, giving her mother to Chopper, hurting Dennis, destroying her home, and trying to cut out her heart while claiming to love her beyond anything else. It was for all these things that the girl sent arrow after arrow into him for, stopping only once he was completely anchored to the spot.

"Goodbye, grandpa." She said, aiming not at him, but up into the sky. "I hope that somehow this gives you peace."

Sending the arrow up into the sky until it could no longer be seen, the skies suddenly parted as a massive bolt of energy came shooting down, just as it had done when she finished off Chopper in the cemetery. And just like with him, there was nowhere for Dick to go, making the old man scream as he vanished in a flash of light when it struck him head-on. The light was so intense that Alyssa had to cover her eyes, but when it faded and she was able to open them again, the girl gasped when she saw that he was still there… apparently unharmed.

"Oh, Alyssa." Dick said, brushing himself off. "You were always a spirited child, but that's enough… be a good girl, and come back to the alter. Don't you want to live happily with me for all eternity?"

"Grandpa, even if I gave you my heart, we wouldn't be together!" She yelled, making a last attempt to reach him. "The spirits of all those girls who had their hearts cut out to create Entities were trapped in Chopper's realm! He… he tortured them again and again, and he did the same thing to _mum_! Is that really what you want for me, because that's what happens to the Rooders after the Ritual of Engagement!"

The old man remained where he was, staying silent while looking at her, and this gave the girl hope that she was maybe, _finally_ reaching him. But then Dick snapped his fingers, and suddenly Alyssa couldn't move her feet. Looking down, she gasped in horror when she saw that a red liquid had covered her feet, holding them in place and creating a large puddle around her as it seeped out of the ground.

"Alyssa, I love you more than all else." Dick replied as she struggled. "But you are just as stubborn as your mother, and apparently as _spineless_ as your father. You belong to Lord Burroughs and I _forever_ , and now we shall claim your heart at last."

Drawing back the Rooder bow, she was just about to release it, when the old man pointed his sword at her, causing a small sphere of blue energy to shoot at her from the tip. It struck her in the arm, knocking her arrow off course, but when the girl tried to draw back another one, she found that her arm was now anchored to the ground by a dark blue chain. She pulled against it, but it wouldn't break, so she was getting ready to shoot it with the bow, when a second blue sphere from the sword struck her in the other arm.

"This is the end, Alyssa!" Dick yelled, pointing the sword up into the air.

Another blue sphere was launched up into the air, vanishing just like her arrow had done, but this time when the skies parted, it wasn't a beautiful shimmering light that was coming down, but the horrific image of a grinning red skull that opened its jaws to laugh as it screamed toward her. She was trapped, completely restrained by the chains and red liquid, and it looked like this really was the end for her... until something incredible happened.

The broken pieces of her mother's statue started to rumble, and from them a dim light was produced, allowing the semi-transparent form of Nancy to appear. Without hesitation or stopping to say anything, her mother sprinted over to her, standing between Alyssa and the skull with arms outstretched. Then the skull reached her, and the girl heard her mother scream as the whole area was flooded with dark light.

"Mum!" The girl screamed.

When it faded, the chains and red puddle were gone, but Nancy was still standing there. She was motionless in fact, for several seconds… until slowly falling backwards. Alyssa moved forward to catch her, taking Nancy in her arms and slowly lowering her down until her mother was lying on her back. She didn't look like she was in very good shape at all, barely able to breathe or open her eyes.

"Drat." The old man grumbled, looking a little out of breath now, himself. "A valiant effort… but you are running out of people to sacrifice themselves for you, Alyssa."

"You… you _bastard_!" The girl yelled, picking up the Rooder bow.

"Alyssa… wait." Nancy said weakly, grabbing her arm. "Take… take strength… from me."

Alyssa wasn't sure what her mother meant by this, but then with her free hand, Nancy held up the four-leaf clover necklace, and then she vanished, letting the necklace hit the ground again. Meanwhile, the old man growled, raising his sword and walking angrily toward her… but when the girl picked up the necklace, something happened to the object that was the center of the Rooder bow. It started to glow with a strange green light, causing the bottom section of the bow to vanish, while widening the top as if it had now become a sword blade.

"You are mine, Alyssa!" Dick yelled, swinging the sword once he was close enough.

Feeling a sudden burst of energy, she was able to avoid the blade by dropping down and rolling forward, landing on her feet, and jumping up while stabbing forward with her own blade. The glowing green sword plunged itself into the old man's chest, all the way to the hilt, making him gasp and drop his sword as Alyssa shoved him backwards. She forced him to stumble backwards, closer and closer to the edge of the clock tower, but he was able to stop himself just before going over.

Alyssa pushed and pushed, but the old man managed to grab her by the hair and toss her backwards, making her fall on her back while he attempted to regain his balance. However, his efforts actually made it worse for him, and now it was Dick's turn to scream as he tumbled over the edge, vanishing from sight as he fell into the darkness. All was quiet for a moment, but then the whole area started to shake, with cracks slowly forming in the floor and walls.

"Oh, my God." Alyssa said to herself as the shaking got worse. "Dennis!"

He was just starting to move around from the blow he had taken, but suddenly jolted awake when Alyssa ran over and shook him.

"Alyssa, what happened?!" He asked, looking around confused as she helped him up. "What's going on?!"

"The clock tower's collapsing!" She yelled, pulling him toward the door. "Come on, we've got to get out of here!"

Cracks continued to travel up and down the tower, getting bigger and bigger until pieces started to break off from the building, crashing down to the ground below. Gears were dislodged from their mounts, the alter collapsed, and soon the rubble was falling down like rain, kicking up a dust-cloud as the whole building crashed to pieces. Alyssa and Dennis were just running out the front door when the whole of the building came down on them, but then it all vanished in a flash of lightning, and suddenly they were standing in a different place.

It took Alyssa a moment to realize where she was, and then she smiled, hugging Dennis when it finally clicked that they were standing out in front of her now completely restored home. The storm had passed, and now the sun was shining, and it looked like today was going to be a good day after all.

We did it, mum. She thought, looking up into the sky while hugging her boyfriend even tighter. We did it.


End file.
